Diglossia according to Ferguson

 

A diglossic situation takes place when speakers use two or more varieties of the same language in different conditions. The term diglossia comes from the French diglossic and it was chosen by the author because there was no word in English to express the meaning he wanted to convey. Although some people understand diglossia as bilingualism, this is not really what Ferguson thought of but it would make sense depending on the definition one gives to language. Diglossic situations have superposed varieties of languages which have high prestige (H) or low prestige (L). Sometimes only H is appropriate and sometimes only L. It is very important knowing when to use which variety so that the speaker does not become an object of ridicule

 

When is H mostly used?

 

· Sermons

· Personal letters

· Speeches

· University lectures

· News broadcasts

· Newspapers

· Poetry

 

When is L mostly used?

 

· Instructions to servants

· Informal conversation

· Radio ‘soap opera’

· Caption on political cartoon

· Folk literature

 

 

Interesting facts about diglossia:

 

· In schools, the situation is a bit complex. Usually formal lectures are given in H but when it comes to drills or explanations, L is used. Some countries forbid the use of L by teachers, but most of them spend time explaining in L the material written in H.

· When there is diglossia speakers find H superior to L in many aspects. They say it sounds more beautiful, it is more logical and people are better able to express thoughts using H. There are cases in which this feeling is so strong that people even deny the existence of L or say that they use L for avoiding misunderstandings with servants. They claim that these simple people would not comprehend them if they spoke in H.

· Surprisingly, some people would prefer to listen to a speech in H rather than in L even though they would not understand it.

Some words exist in only one of the varieties because some topics are discussed in L but almost never in H and vice-versa.

 

Is Portuguese a diglossic language?

 

Some cotemporary linguists say that there is an L in Portuguese, which would be a simplified variety of the language evolved from the mixture of Portuguese, Amerindian and African languages. H would be acquired at school and have evolved from European Portuguese.