How does language change in the workplace?

At work people may change their level of linguistic prestige- either to fit in with those around them, exert authority over subordinates, or impress a superior.Labov`s research regarding how gender affects dialect in each social class can be applied to work based situations. The fact that women use overt prestige more than men (who tend to use covert prestige), may result in them being more eager to use widely accepted prestigious and high register vocabulary to impress their boss and push for promotion. This is in contrast to the male workers who would be more likely to use local language for positive social significance, and to fit in with other workers- whether they’re subordinates or superiors.TOP TIP - many English Language theories can be applied to lots of different questions, make sure you can memorise key studies like the Labov study above, and apply it to the question.