Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
List number:305
Ain Shams University
Al-Alsun Faculty
English department
Lingustics Reasearch:
Diglossia and Code Switching
Submitted to: Dr/ Fayrouz
Diglossia is characteristic of speech communities rather than
individuals. The term diglossia describes societal or institutionalised
bilingualism, where two varieties are required to cover all the
community's domains. The criteria which identify diglossic communities
were initially interpreted very stringently, so that few communities
qualified as diglosssic. Later it became clear that some sociolinguists felt
that the term could usefully be extended. The egyptien community uses
classical Arabic as his high variety, and regional colloquial varieties as
low varietes. The pattern of code or variety choice in Egypt is one which
has been described with the term diglossia. This term has been used both
in a narrow sense and in much broader sense. In the narrow and original
sense of the term, diglossia has three crucial features:
1) Two distinct varieties of the same language are used in the
community with one regarded as a high (or H) variety and the other
a low (or L) variety.
2) Each variet is used for quite distinct funtions; H and L complement
each other.
3) No one uses the H variety in everyday conversation.
Although, most of the vocabulary of H and L is the same, not surprisingly
since it is used in more formal domains, the H vocabulary includes many
more formal and technical terms such as syadtk (Arabic: 5 )سيادتكand
Moaarch (Arabic: )مؤرخ, while the L variety has words for everyday
objects such as soltanya (Arabic: )سلطانيةand hasyra (Arabic: )حصيرة.
There are also some interesting paired items for frequently referred to
concepts such as room in low variety odaa (Arabic: )أوضةand in high
variety ghorfaa (Arabic: )غرفة.
The only question that appeares strongly is if either of varietes can
displace the other and dominate this particular language. Considering the
language from that angel, lingusts found that two language are extremely
important for language survival. No one can use either of the two varities
through his whole day.
In Arabic language clasical arabic is the language used in formal
occassions, religion, literature, Newspaper, Broadcasting, Education.
While colloquial Arabic is used widely in many other contexts such as
home, streets, clubs and among friends. Although the abandon of either of
varieties is critically impossible, the increasing of using one variety over
another is highly possible. In egypt, for instance, colloquial arabic is
becoming more popular as the passing of time. Some contexts mentioned
above such as literature has became to warning extent depending on
colloquial arabic.
Moreover, some newspapers appeared to have certain sections for readers
of colloquial arabic - and sometimes the whole news paper is written in
colloquial arabic. On the other hand classical arabic could not by anyway
invade contexts which are colloquial are used in such as home and among
friends. The effect in such case can be noticed over passing of many
years. The real major concern is the disappearing of classical arabic,
especially when colloquial arabic replaced classical arabic in poetry.
paired items between classical and colloquial arabic expressed the great
distance between both of varietes: