Operational Linguistic Wisdom: Elective Connectivity and Linguistic Capital Activation in the Age of LLMs

Uplift edition 2026 (this version). The 2025 paper re-read against the Human–AI Readout Programme's current spine (Master Equation River v1.1, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22414412; Before Meaning, Before Choice v1.1, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22424434). Every claim of the original is triaged in Appendix A as kept, reformulated with a stated falsifier, or dropped with a reason; nothing is raised above the original's status (K0). The 2025 version remains available in this record's version history as the anchor. Prepared as a chapter of the textbook Written by AI. Still True. (subtitle: When AI Expands Human Potential). An AI assistant was used in triage and drafting under the author's direction; no AI system is an author or contributor. Independent adversarial review passed before deposit.

Series. Member of the Zenodo library When AI Expands Human Potential (hub DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22308201). First published on SSRN (2025-10-08) as abstract id 5579291; deposited on Zenodo 2026-09-05 unchanged for the series record. Conceptual paper; K0 — not peer reviewed; no priority claim.

Abstract. Prior scholarship largely treats language as a communication channel. In LLM-enabled contexts, language can be designed as cognitive infrastructure that activates organizational linguistic capital. This paper articulates a three-stage mechanism—Elective Connectivity, Capability Activation, and Reflexive Reconfiguration—that operationalizes this shift. Purpose. To formalize a testable conceptual model extending Operational Linguistic Wisdom (OLW) and the AI Value Reflection Hypothesis (AVRH) by specifying how linguistic capital can be ethically activated with LLMs. Design/methodology. Conceptual–reflective synthesis grounded in established theory (Bourdieu; Nonaka; Floridi). The paper provides construct clarity, propositions, boundary conditions, risks, and an illustrative vignette. No empirical claims are made. Findings (conceptual). Language can function as cognitive infrastructure when (i) connection to LLMs is elective and governed, (ii) dialogic prompting routines surface tacit knowledge and align values, and (iii) reflective insights are institutionalized into policies and processes. Originality/value. Reframes language from a carrier to an operable substrate for value reflection; specifies mechanisms, risks, and governance required for responsible organizational use of LLMs.