diglossia

1 9.9

A community where people use two kinds of language, like formal writing and everyday speech

noun
/daɪˈɡlɑːsiə/

Specialized

: diglosia

Diglossia is the use of two variants of the same grammar, like "standard" English and patois in Jamaica, or "standard" Portuguese and Kriolu in Cape Verde.

Examples

A diglossia emerged in Catalonia, in which Castilian became the public language and Catalan was left as the home vernacular.

Academic text (2003)
In many bilingual communities, diglossia occurs when one language is used in formal settings while another is spoken at home.
His defense of typography is one of several examples in Fuenteovejuna of dynamic diglossia: of oral and textual interaction.

Academic text (1992)
In effect, the diglossia or dialectical encounter between nonliterate and literate cultures partially "textualized" the oral culture.

Academic text (1992)
The diglossia in Switzerland allows for both German and French to be used in different social contexts.
Understanding diglossia helps linguists study how language preferences vary between formal and informal speech.

Surface Forms

diglossia singular

diglossias plural

Morphology

diglossia = gloss (semi-transparent) = di + gloss + ia

Formally built from Greek elements di- ('two') + gloss- ('tongue, language') with the noun-forming -ia; these combining forms are not productive everyday morphemes, so the term is understandable mainly to learners familiar with classical roots.

Etymology

Diglossia comes from Greek parts di- 'two' and glossa 'tongue', so it means 'two tongues'. That's why diglossia describes when a community uses two different languages or two forms of the same language for different situations, such as a formal one for writing and a casual one for speaking.