It describes a situation where two languages or language varieties occur side by side in a community, and each has a clear range of functions. Diglossia definition is the use of two varieties of the same language in different social contexts throughout a speech community. We will examine this position in the following pages. The aim is to reevaluate and compare the processes of dissolution of diglossia in east asian and in european languages, especially in japanese, chinese and in slavic languages in the framework of the asymmetries in the emergence of modern written languages. Fergusons contributions, however, go far beyond the ongo.
The middle way david deterding introduction the concept of diglossia was developed by ferguson 1959. In baghdad, the christian arabs speak a christian arabic dialect when talking among themselves. Ferguson first introduced the term diglossia in 1959 to refer to a relationship between varieties of the same language, but nowadays the term covers also relationships between different languages used in a society ibid, 3335. The term diglossia from the greek for speaking two languages was first used in english by linguist charles ferguson in 1959. The variant reserved for informal uses within a speech community, the low variety, enjoys less social prestige. Diglossia in the arab worldeducational implications and. Diglossia and register variation in singapore english.
Modelled on the french diglossie, the original concept of diglossia goes back to charles ferguson 1959. Word, an academic journal of linguistics issued four times a year, is the publication of the international linguistic association ila. Fergusons concept of diglossia 1959, 1964 is used in analyzing sign language. Diglossia in the arab world educational implications. The characteristics of classic instances of diglossia are subdivided into sociocultural and linguistic features, and these in turn are used as a basis for determining the extent to which different types of community might be fruitfully described as diglossic. Founded in 1943 as the linguistic circle of new york, the ila became one of the main sources of new ideas in american linguistics at that time. The sociolinguistic condition known as diglossia has attracted wide attention since the publication of.
He identified four languages, arabic, greek, haitian creole and swiss. A speaker may thus start a sentence in l and switch to. Diglossia in arabic refers to the phenomenon of coexistence of two distinct language varieties in the same speech. A description of diglossia essay example graduateway. Modelled on the french diglossie, the original concept of diglossia goes back to charles ferguson. Andrew freemans perspectives on arabic diglossia dec. The toefl test was created under his leadership at the center for applied linguistics in washington, dc. While studying the narrower and wider interpretations of these linguistic phenomena, we may find that all the conditions are given that are required for us to say. The concept of diglossia in caribbean creole situations. The term diglossia was first introduced in english by charles a. Diglossia describes a society where two forms of the same language. The term diglossia was introduced into the english language literature on sociolinguistic by charles a.
Fergusons concept of diglossia is examined with a view to dedetermining its applicability to creole continua. In order to describe the situation found in places like greece, the arabicspeaking world in general,german speaking switzerland and the island of. Perhaps the most familiar example is the standard language and regional dialect as used, say, in italian or persian, where many speakers speak their local dialect at home or. Charles albert ferguson july 6, 1921 september 2, 1998 was an american linguist who taught at stanford university. Diglossia and the variation of the colloquial arabic. Later on, joshua fishman gave a modification of fergusons 1959. Pdf on dec 29, 2018, sanjida abedin rafha and others published. Post 1959 research on diglossia has concentrated on a number of variables and important questions. Diglossia is more involved than just switching between levels of diction in the same language, such as going from slang or texting shortcuts to writing up a formal paper for a class or. Charles ferguson is credited with first using the term diglossia in an article which he wrote in 1959 called diglossia. He was one of the founders of sociolinguistics and is best known for his work on diglossia. Diglossia definition of diglossia by the free dictionary. In the literature on diglossia, hudson 1994, 2002, following ferguson 1991, argues that the notion of diglossia should be used in the narrow, genetic sense of ferguson 1959, and that genetic diglossia is a special case of register.
Diglossia definition of diglossia by merriamwebster. After a definition of the issue, backed by the most relevant, related academic literature, a brief overview will be offered of the social setting. Ferguson in many speech communities two or more varieties of the same language are used by some speakers under different conditions. Diglossia, the coexistence of two varieties of the same language throughout a speech community. Diglossia comes from the greek which reads literally as diglossia but is translated into english as bilingualism. Such a situation exists in many speech communities throughout the worlde. Of the four defining languages, arabic diglossia seems to reach as far back as. To date, this article has generated approximately three thousand articles, theses, and monographs in and on many different languages287 dealing with arabic alone.
Diglossia as a result of language variation in arabic. Post1959 research on diglossia has concentrated on a number of variables and important questions. It is fergusons article diglossia 1959 that set the stage for this approach and for. Often, one form is the literary or prestige dialect, and the other is a common dialect spoken by most of the population. Pdf an article about fergusons nine criteria of diglossia based on his article 1959 in which he explained them thoroughly. Bilingualism and diglossia as sociocultural phenomena in. But ferguson was not so much concerned with likening the linguistic situations in those 1 charles a. Such a multi lingual situation where two languages or language varieties coexist in a society and each has a clear range of functions is known as diglossia. As in haitian creole or swiss german, two or more varieties of sign language are used by the same speakers under different conditionsthese are here called high h sign language and low l sign language. 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. Diglossia language registers and types of diglossia. Transylvanian translators bilingualism and diglossia may be considered as facts, and sociolingual effects become tangible in various translations. In 1947, ferguson accepted a position at the newly. Diglossia is a relatively stable language situation in which, in addition to the primary linguistics.
Diglossia and register variation in medieval greek. He is credited to be the first linguist who used the specific term, diglossia in his article. Diglossia or triglossia in morocco reality and facts by ab. Definition and examples of diglossia sociolinguistics. Ferguson 1959 on chinese chinese should be cited because it probably represents diglossia on the largest scale of any attested instance ferguson 1959. The term diglossia was introduced by charles ferguson in 1959 for characterizing a specific intrasocietal linguistic behaviour.
Ferguson referred to diglossia as a term meaning that the focus of two languages used in the same geographical region changes and impacts the sociolinguistic. This essay will offer an introduction to the longdebated issue of diglossia in the arabicspeaking world, together with an overview of some of the effects it brings about within the arab society against the background of the governing islamic creed. Various scholars have proposed terminologies for a taxonomy of diglossias. Diglossia is a global language company dedicated to changing lives by fostering language development and literacy throughout the world. A comprehensive bibliography 19601990 and supplements amsterdam 1993 covering the period 19601990.
Diglossia is a relatively stable language situation in which, in addition to the primary dialects of the language which may include a. According to ferguson 1959, the hvariety and the lvariety have to be two divergent forms of the same language which are above the level of a standardwithdialects distinction, but which stay below the level of two separate related or unrelated. Ferguson, who in his 1959 eponymouslytitled seminal article, diglossia, considered the characteristics of bidialectal as opposed to bilingual situations that. Until the late 19th century, bilingualism and diglossia were synonymous. When ferguson introduced his paper on diglossia in 1959, he concluded with an appeal for further study of diglossic phenomenon and related ones ferguson, 1959. Diglossia with and without bilingualism fergusonsdefinition 1959. India and many other countries to speak more than one language. Clearly, taking fergusons 1959 descriptions of haitian creole usage relative to french as. Ferguson was also the leader of a team of linguists in ethiopia under the ford.
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