DIGLOSSIA

The word “Diglossia” derived from the Greek word “diglossos” meaning
‘bilingual’ based on the pattern of French “diglossie”. Diglossia, a sociolinguistic
term refers a kind of situation where two language varieties occur in same time
and are used under various conditions within a community, often by the same
speakers. It is the use of two widely divergent forms of the same language by all
members of the community under different conditions. This term is defined as
social and institutionalized bilingualism. It occurs in two varieties which are
needed to hide all the community’s domain. If a language is dialect, then that
language will not be called diglossia. That’s why, diglossia is not a dialect.
History and Definition of Diglossia
The term Diglossia was first introduced in English by Charles A. Ferguson
in 1959. He is credited to be the first linguist who used the specific term,
“diglossia‟ in his article (1959) entitled, “Diglossia” in the journal “Word”,
to refer to a situation “where two varieties of a language exist side by side
throughout the community, with each having a definite role to play” (Al –
Huri, H., I., 2011 - 2012). He was one of the sociolinguists who gave this
phenomenon great interest. Ferguson gave the classical definition of diglossia.
According to Ferguson, “diglossia is a relatively stable language situation in
which, in addition to the primary dialects of the language (which may include a
standard or regional standards), there is a very divergent, highly codified (often
grammatically more complex) superposed variety, the vehicle of a large and
respected body of written literature, either of an earlier period or in another speech
community, which is learned largely by formal education and used for most
written and formal spoken purposes but is not used by any sector of the
community for ordinary conversation”. Later on, Joshua Fishman gave a
modification of Ferguson’s (1959) original concept and rather strict definition of
diglossia in1967. Fishman generalized the concept of diglossia to bilingual
communities.
Fishman presented an expansion of Ferguson’s definition of diglossia in two
respects –
  A diglossic speech community is not characterized by the use of two
language varieties only. There may be more than two language varieties
used within a diglossic community.
 Diglossia refers to all kinds of language varieties which show functional
distribution in a speech community. Diglossia, as a consequence describes
a number of sociolinguistic situations, from stylistic differences within one
language or the use of separate dialects (Ferguson’s standard – with –
dialects’ distinction) to the use of (related or unrelated) separate languages.

Features of Diglossia
Diglossia has been used both in a narrow and in a much broader sense. In
the narrow and original sense of the term, it has three crucial features –
Two distinct varieties of the same language are used in the community, with one
regarded as a high (or H) variety and the other a low (or L) variety
 Each variety is used for quite distinct functions, H and L complement each
other
 No one uses the H variety in everyday conversation
Varieties of Diglossia
Diglossia has two types of variety –
High variety
Low variety
 Diglossia

High Low

Formal Informal

Official Professional

Friendly, slang, vulgar

High Variety
High variety (H) is regarded as the standard variety and people use it as formal or
official situations such as government, conference event, formal letters,
broadcasts, religious services and teaching etc. High variety is used for literary
and literacy purposes and for formal, public and official uses (Spolsky, 2008). A
more standard variety called the high variety or H – variety (Longman Dictionary
of Applied Linguistics, 1985).

Low Variety
Low variety (L) is regarded as the non – standard variety and people use it as
informal situations such as family member, neighbors, local markets and talking
between friends or close friends etc.” Low variety is used for informal
conversation and daily use” (spolsky, 2008). “A non – prestige variety called the
low variety” (Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, 1985).
Everyone can speak the L variety and will do so in informal situation, but not
everyone can use the H variety. This phenomenon is due to the distinct level of
linguistic knowledge the speakers have. In diglossic community, the High variety
which is linguistically related to but significantly different from the vernacular of
Low varieties has no native speakers.
Examples of High Variety and Low Variety
Promito Bangla is high variety, but everyday Bangla is low variety. Arabic is high
variety and colloquial Arabic is low variety. Standard German is high variety and
Swiss German is low variety.
Church and Mosque

Newspaper Editorials HIGH Political Speeches

University Lectures
Fig 1: High variety

Giving Instruction to Waiters, Servants and Clerks

Personal Letter LOW Radio Soap Operas

Captions on Political Cartoons and folk literature

Fig 2: Low variety
Characteristics of Diglossia
Ferguson listed nine specific characteristics of a diglossia language
situation involving the function, prestige, literary heritage, acquisition,
standardization, stability, grammar, lexicon, and phonology of the high and low
variety (Ferguson, 1996). In diglossia, basically, people use one specific language
in a certain situation and another language in another situation.
1. Functions of Diglossia
 Function is an important criterion for digloasia situations. In most
situations the form of variety H diglossia is more functioned in formal
situations. This variety will feel strange if it is used in daily
communication. Vice versa with the variety of L will feel inappropriate
and strange when used in written form.
2. Prestige
Prestige speakers consider high as the more powerful, low in a number of
respects. Speaker’s attitude towards H variety is more positive as L variety
is seen as less worthy. In a diglosis society, speakers perceive the H
variety as more prestigious, superior, more respected, and a logical
language. While the L variety is considered inferior, some even deny its
existence.
3. Literary Heritage
Variety H is used in past literary works. the large amount of literature
written in H and admired by the language community. The present writing
habit is considered to be a continuation of the great traditions of the past.
In ancient period, poetry was written and introduced in High variety. In
most diglossic languages, literature is written in high variety except what
is known as folk literature, which is written in low variety.
4. Acquisition
H variety is obtained by learning in formal education, while L variety is
obtained from association with family and friends. Therefore, those who
have never entered the world of formal education will not recognize the
variety of H at all. In a diglosis society many well-educated people master
the rules of the H variety, but it is not smooth to use the variety.
5. Standardization
H variety undergoes a standardization process and must be learned at
school, while not everyone has the opportunity to learn it. On the contrary,
the variety of L that is used in informal situations is the variety of
languages that are used daily at home. This variety does not recognize
written variety and is not the target of language standardization.
 6. Stability
Diglosia is seen as a stable situation. The stability occurs because in
general the situation of dyslossia arises because the speaker wants it to.
The existence of a variety of H and L in the community language of the
diglossia community is maintained.
7. Grammar
Actually the variety of H and variety of L in the phenomenon of diglossia
are forms of the same language, but in terms of grammar there are
differences. Judging from the grammar, variant H tends to have more
complex grammar rules than Variety L
8. Lexicon
The vocabulary of H variety is mostly the same as the vocabulary in L
variety. But there are vocabularies in H that do not have an equivalent in L
variety, and vice versa, there is also a vocabulary in L body that does not
have an equivalent in H variety.
9. Phonology
The phonological structure between the various H and L is different. The
phonology of variance H is the basic system while the phonology of L
understanding is a subsystem that has diversity. The H variety phonology
is a common form that exists in a language. On the other hand phonology
of L variety is not a basic form and tends to have diverse variations.
Examples of Diglossia
1. For instance, in Swiss German country, the students will use standard
German in their school because mostly the books and newspapers that they
use is Standard German, but when they get home, they will switch their
language and use the local Swiss German in their home as the dialect on
daily conversation.
2. In Indonesia, the situation of diglossia is found in several regional
languages in Indonesia, such as Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, Madurese,
each of which has a variety of H and L in the language. In Sundanese
society, there are steps on bases, in which there are grammar rules that
regulate the level of variety of low languages and high language variations
such as bases cohag (rough variety), bases loma (variety for others), bases
sedeng (medium or middle variety), bases lemes (fine variety). In Java
there are ngoko (the lowest level), krama (middle), kramainggil (high
level).
 CONCLUSION
Diglosia is a language situation where there is a functional division of
language variants or languages that exist in society. What is meant is that there is
a difference between formal or official variations in terms of formal or informal.
For example in Indonesia there are differences between written language and
spoken language. Diglosia is a linguistic situation with functional division of
language or language variations that exist in society (eg variance or language A
for official atmosphere in the office and variety or language B for informal
atmosphere at home).
REFERENCES