The Namibian pre-independence diglossic norm which included Afrikaans as high-status and ethnic indigenous languages as low-status languages is replaced by a triglossic norm ruled by English – the country’s sole official language since 1990. Indigenous ethnic languages are still barely employed for inter-ethnic communication, which appears to be a correlate of ‘hard’ inter-ethnic boundaries derived from apartheid. Windhoek's prevalent informal linguistic inter-ethnic communication patterns mainly depend on English, or on hybrid linguistic repertories merging ‘Coloured Afrikaans’ and English. Which of the two linguistic choices prevails relies upon interactants’ length of stay in Windhoek, social networks, ethnicity, and race.