Corporate Language Policy and Yoruba Identity in Multinational Companies Operating in Lagos

Corporate language policies in multinational companies frequently impose English as the sole official communication medium, creating identity and inclusion tensions for employees whose primary professional cultural identity is rooted in Yoruba. This study examines corporate language policy and its implications for Yoruba employee identity in selected multinational companies operating in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data were collected from 40 Yoruba employees at managerial and supervisory levels in banking, telecommunications, and consumer goods multinationals through in-depth interviews. The study applies language policy theory, organisational identity theory, and Bourdieu's linguistic capital framework to analyse how Yoruba employees experience and negotiate English-only corporate communication norms. Existing literature on language in the Nigerian corporate sector has addressed English proficiency and workplace communication effectiveness, with Yoruba employee identity and corporate language policy intersections being insufficiently explored. This study fills that professional and sociolinguistic gap. The research investigates whether Yoruba employees feel that English-only policies disadvantage them in career progression, how they adapt Yoruba communicative strategies to English-dominant workplace contexts, and whether companies with Nigerian ownership show different language tolerance levels. Findings are expected to reveal that English-only policies are perceived as creating a hidden glass ceiling for Yoruba-dominant speakers in informal leadership contexts. Recommendations will address culturally sensitive corporate language policies and the promotion of Yoruba professional identity within multilingual workplaces. Keywords: corporate language policy, Yoruba identity, multinational companies, Lagos, workplace communication.