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Diglossia is when a community speaks two different languages or dialects, with one being official and the other not. The official language is the “high” language used in formal settings, while the “low” language is used in everyday conversations. Examples include India with Hindi and English, and the US with English and various immigrant languages. Low tongue is often considered less important and can lead to social classification.
Diglossia refers to a situation where members of a community speak two different languages. It also applies to a situation where members of a community speak a different dialect or derivative of the same language. The application of diglossia to such communities is that one language is official or recognized, while the other is not. Even though the other language is not official, it is still widely spoken by some community members, in addition to being the official language.
The official language is called the “high” language, while the other is the “low” language. Low tongue is the common language spoken by community members in a wide variety of environments. Communities use the high language in official capacities such as writing, teaching and speaking in official or formal functions. Some common examples of the application of diglossia can be found in the former colonies of countries such as Great Britain and France. India is a former colony of Great Britain where the principle of diglossia can be seen. This country has two official languages. Hindi is the primary language, while English is the secondary language.
In another British colony, the reverse is the same. The official language is English, which is also the high language. The country has many languages and dialects, so low language depends on the community. One of the languages is the Yoruba language. For the members of the Yoruba-speaking community, the English language is the main language, while Yoruba is the language they mainly use to communicate with each other during other daily conversations. Children are taught in English, while learning to read and write in the language.
Another example of diglossia can be seen in countries with immigrants, such as the United States. The high language is English, while the low language can be the mother tongue of various immigrants. For example, a Spanish immigrant may speak English at work, when he writes or when interacting with other non-Spanish speakers. The same immigrant may speak Spanish at home, at church, in a Spanish shop or when interacting with other members of the Spanish community.
One effect of diglossia is the way it serves as a tool for interpersonal communication and social classification. Low tongue is almost always relegated to the background and is considered less important than high tongue. Those proficient in the low language may be considered illiterate or of a lower social class if they do not understand or cannot speak the high language.
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