word

Diglossia

dy-GLOS-ee-uh

/daɪˈɡlɒsiə/

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Syllable breakdown

diglossia

Dictionary meaning

A sociolinguistic situation in which two varieties of a language — a high ('H') variety used in formal, official, or prestige contexts, and a low ('L') variety used in informal, everyday contexts — coexist in a speech community, each with distinct social functions.

Examples

Classical Arabic and regional Arabic dialects exemplify diglossia, with Modern Standard Arabic serving the high variety.
Switzerland displays diglossia, with High German used in writing and education while Swiss German dialects are used in daily conversation.

Synonyms: bivarietalism, bilectalism

Common mispronunciations

Sometimes confused with bilingualism; diglossia refers to varieties of the same language, not entirely different languages

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