Diglossia

Diglossia is such a linguistic situation, when one variety of the same language is considered more prestigious than the other, but both are in use, depending upon the situation.

For example, in Arabic-speaking world there is a contrast between Classical language and regional dialect. The same pattern occurs in the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland with High German as the standard language and Swiss German as the vernacular. In each case, the standard variety is used for literacy and public, official purposes, which vernacular is used for the informal conversations and daily needs. One of the major differences lies in the different levels of prestige of the two varieties.

While developed originally to apply to cases of two varieties of the SAME language, the notion of DIGLOSSIA can also be applied to the way in which two (or more) distinct languages divide the domains in the linguistic repertoire of a speech community. In colonial situations, for instance, the language of the government takes on many attributes of a HIGH (standard) variant, while the various vernaculars fit the definition of LOW (non-standard) languages. For Navajo Indians, English fulfills the HIGH function, and Navajo – the LOW. Another case is Paraguay, where Spanish is the HIGH variety (used in literature, education, government, associated with the city life) and Guarani is the vernacular, spoken in the villages and used in the cities as a mark of Paraguayan identity.

DIGLOSSIA thus refers to a society that has divided up its domains into two distinct clusters, using linguistic differences to demarcate the boundaries, and offering two clear identities to the members of the community.

Linguistic minority

Linguistic minority is a group of speakers who have as their native variety a language other than that which is the official, dominant or major language in the country where they live. In some cases, where the minorities are relatively large, the nation-state usually has more than one official language. Examples are Belgium and Switzerland (German, French, Italian and Romansch).

Where minority is smaller or less influential, the minority language is unlikely to have official status, and its speakers, often out of sheer oractical necessity, will tend to be bilingual.

There are a number of languages which are considered minority languages:

Sami Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia

Frisian Germany, Holland

Basque Spain, France

Catalan Spain, France

Breton France

Welsh UK

Gaelic UK

In addition to these, Yiddish and Gypsy (Romany) are quite widely spoken as minority languages in different parts of the world.

Now we will turn down some countries where language situation is multilingual.

CANADA

Canada’s linguistic diversity can be seen in the special light. The addition of French as a second official language, reflecting a greater influence of French traditions on the forming of the nation, makes the Canadian situation unique among the nations of the world. Canada forms a VERTICAL MOSAICS in which class interacts with ethnic background producing a new structure of the national society.

There are other languages spoken in Canada by large speech communities: Traditional Cree (the language of the native inhabitants of Canada), Cree English, Anglicized Cree, Ukrainian.

BELGIUM

In Belgium there are two major languages: Flemish, spoken natively by 53 percent of population, and French, spoken by 42 percent. About a third of the Flemish speakers are bilingual, and French has a dominant position in national life. German is the native language of about 2 percent of the population and has legal status in certain parts of the country.

CODE SWITCHING

Code-switching is the term used to identify alternations of linguistic varieties within the same conversation. The linguistic varieties participating in code-switching may be different languages, dialects or styles of the same language.

Code-switching is very common among bilinguals, and it serves important social functions. Everyday conversations in two languages are the subject matter of this notion. There are various kinds of code switching. Immigrants often use many words from their new language in their old language, because many of the people they speak to know both languages. In situations like this, bilinguals often develop a mixed code.

For a bilingual, shifting for convenience (choosing the available word or phrase) is common.

More interesting effects are achievable by shifts concerned with role-relationships. It is important to note that each of a bilingual’s languages is likely to be associated not only with topics and places, but also with identities and roles.

The selection of a language by a bilingual, especially when speaking to another bilingual, carries a social meaning. By means of a language choice, bilingual speakers change their identities, using code-switching as a way of negotiating social relations with an interlocutor.