Psychology
Linguistic Repertoires and the Stratification of Speech Styles in Multilingual Cities
Quick fact
In London, a teenager might switch between Standard English, a local dialect, and a heritage language like Punjabi within a single conversation—a display of a rich linguistic repertoire that reflects the city's social layers.
Why this is interesting
You step into a café in London and hear the same person order a cappuccino in posh English, then apologize to a friend in Cockney, then chat in Polish. How do they know exactly which way to speak?