Difference between revisions of "Diglossia"
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| − | The [[noun]] ''''diglossia'''' - pronounced dai-GLOSS-i-er, {{IPA| | + | The [[noun]] ''''diglossia'''' - pronounced dai-GLOSS-i-er, {{IPA|daɪ'glɒsɪə}} - is used to refer to the existence within a [[speech community]] of two forms of a single language. The two forms are usually characterised as 'higher' and 'lower', the former being used, e.g., in formal, educational, and literary contexts, and the latter being the [[vernacular]], the language of everyday speech. The word ''''diglossia'''' comes from the [[Greek]] γλῶσσα (''glossa'', tongue, speech, language) and the [[prefix]] 'di-' meaning 'two'. There is also an [[adjective]] ''''diglossic'''': a language which exists in a 'higher' and a 'lower' form may be said to be '''diglossic'''. |
Examples of '''diglossia''' are: | Examples of '''diglossia''' are: | ||
| − | *the existence in Modern Greek of '''Katharevusa''' (or '''Katharevousa''') - | + | *the existence in Modern Greek of '''Katharevusa''' (or '''Katharevousa''') - καθαρεύουσα (''katharevousa'', purified) from καθαρός (''katharos'', pure) - the formal or literary form of the language, and '''Demotic''', the commonly spoken form of the language. |
*the existence in (German-speaking parts of) Switzerland of Standard German, used in formal contexts, and Swiss German, the [[vernacular]]. | *the existence in (German-speaking parts of) Switzerland of Standard German, used in formal contexts, and Swiss German, the [[vernacular]]. | ||
| − | *the existence in Arabic of, on the one hand, what is usually called Modern Standard Arabic, the language of education, scholarship, government, modern literature, and the media, and used by all educated Arabic speakers whatever their nationality and, on the other, the sometimes mutually incomprehensible [[vernacular]]s of the various Arabic-speaking nations | + | *the existence in Arabic of, on the one hand, what, in English, is usually called Modern Standard Arabic, the language of education, scholarship, government, modern literature, and the media, and used by all educated Arabic speakers whatever their nationality and, on the other, the sometimes mutually incomprehensible [[vernacular]]s of the various Arabic-speaking nations. Some maintain that Arabic is not '''diglossic''' but '''triglossic''', i.e., that there exist three forms of the language - |
| + | **Classical Arabic, the language of the [[Qur'an]], of [[Qur'an]]ic exegesis, and of Classical Arabic literature; | ||
| + | **Modern Standard Arabic; and | ||
| + | **the various [[vernacular]]s. | ||
| + | ***The Arabs themselves, however, do not distinguish between the first two, referring to both as ''alfus-ha'', (the purest or most eloquent form of the language) - ''fus-ha'' is the feminine form of ''afsah'', the comparative and superlative form of the [[adjective]] ''faseeh'', (pure, eloquent, literary). | ||
| + | *Ancient Egyptian can be seen as '''triglossic''': it has three distinct scripts in which to write its three forms (the picture is complicated by the very long history of the language, which lasted more than three and a half thousand years, and naturally developed and changed over that time): | ||
| + | **'''hieroglyphic''' ('priestly carving'), the very formal, beautiful characters (largely pictorial) cut into stone or painted on papyrus in which inscriptions, prayers, spells, etc., were written (this is the most ancient, most traditional, and most 'classical' of the different dialects); | ||
| + | **'''hieratic''' ('priestly'}, a cursive, much abbreviated, version of the above, which was written in ink, with reed pens, on papyrus; | ||
| + | **'''demotic''' ('popular'), the last of the three, was the cursive form, apparently developed to make it easier for foreigners to write and read Egyptian documents. It was used for legal, administrative and commercial texts, and later more trivial and personal documents, occasionally letters. | ||
[[Category:Language]][[Category:Dialect]][[Category:Greek]] | [[Category:Language]][[Category:Dialect]][[Category:Greek]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Linguistics]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Writing systems]] | ||
Latest revision as of 11:31, 16 November 2014
The noun 'diglossia' - pronounced dai-GLOSS-i-er, IPA: /daɪ'glɒsɪə/ - is used to refer to the existence within a speech community of two forms of a single language. The two forms are usually characterised as 'higher' and 'lower', the former being used, e.g., in formal, educational, and literary contexts, and the latter being the vernacular, the language of everyday speech. The word 'diglossia' comes from the Greek γλῶσσα (glossa, tongue, speech, language) and the prefix 'di-' meaning 'two'. There is also an adjective 'diglossic': a language which exists in a 'higher' and a 'lower' form may be said to be diglossic.
Examples of diglossia are:
- the existence in Modern Greek of Katharevusa (or Katharevousa) - καθαρεύουσα (katharevousa, purified) from καθαρός (katharos, pure) - the formal or literary form of the language, and Demotic, the commonly spoken form of the language.
- the existence in (German-speaking parts of) Switzerland of Standard German, used in formal contexts, and Swiss German, the vernacular.
- the existence in Arabic of, on the one hand, what, in English, is usually called Modern Standard Arabic, the language of education, scholarship, government, modern literature, and the media, and used by all educated Arabic speakers whatever their nationality and, on the other, the sometimes mutually incomprehensible vernaculars of the various Arabic-speaking nations. Some maintain that Arabic is not diglossic but triglossic, i.e., that there exist three forms of the language -
- Classical Arabic, the language of the Qur'an, of Qur'anic exegesis, and of Classical Arabic literature;
- Modern Standard Arabic; and
- the various vernaculars.
- The Arabs themselves, however, do not distinguish between the first two, referring to both as alfus-ha, (the purest or most eloquent form of the language) - fus-ha is the feminine form of afsah, the comparative and superlative form of the adjective faseeh, (pure, eloquent, literary).
- Ancient Egyptian can be seen as triglossic: it has three distinct scripts in which to write its three forms (the picture is complicated by the very long history of the language, which lasted more than three and a half thousand years, and naturally developed and changed over that time):
- hieroglyphic ('priestly carving'), the very formal, beautiful characters (largely pictorial) cut into stone or painted on papyrus in which inscriptions, prayers, spells, etc., were written (this is the most ancient, most traditional, and most 'classical' of the different dialects);
- hieratic ('priestly'}, a cursive, much abbreviated, version of the above, which was written in ink, with reed pens, on papyrus;
- demotic ('popular'), the last of the three, was the cursive form, apparently developed to make it easier for foreigners to write and read Egyptian documents. It was used for legal, administrative and commercial texts, and later more trivial and personal documents, occasionally letters.
