Sociolinguistic Competence of Labor Migrants of Coffee Shops in Metro Manila

The study explores the sociolinguistic competence of labor migrants in coffee shops in Metro Manila. Grounded in Speech Act, Sociolinguistic, and Communication Accommodation theories, it adopts a qualitative descriptive design using observation and interviews to understand language repertoires and communicative difficulties. Findings reveal that migrants have dynamic multilingual systems shaped by mobility and workplace needs. The local languages are maintained for identity but recontextualized to favor Tagalog. The selective use of English and Taglish is the favored hybrid code. The migrants shift between languages, use polite markers, and adapt their speech styles to manage customer interactions. Migrants incorporate peer mediation, functional English, and affective communication despite linguistic gatekeeping, incompetence due to accent fluency, and discrimination based on language use. The study looks at sociolinguistic competence as a survival strategy and a form of cultural capital. This needs to be valued regarding multilingual practices in service-based industries for more inclusive communication.