diglossischen

Diglossia is a sociolinguistic situation where two distinct varieties of a language are used in a community. These varieties are typically referred to as "High" (H) and "Low" (L). The H variety is generally considered more prestigious and is used in formal settings such as education, literature, government, and religious services. The L variety is spoken in everyday informal situations, within families, and among friends.

The H and L varieties are often related, with one being a more standardized or classical form of the other, or they might be distinct dialects. For example, in some Arabic-speaking countries, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) serves as the H variety, while various spoken colloquial dialects function as the L varieties. Similarly, in Haiti, Haitian Creole is the L variety and French is the H variety, though the relationship is more complex than a simple dialectal one.

Key characteristics of diglossia include the clear social and situational domains for each variety, the lack of overlap between them in usage, and the fact that both varieties are learned by the community from birth. Speakers are usually bilingual in the H and L varieties of their language. Diglossia is distinct from bilingualism, which refers to the ability to speak two different languages. In diglossia, the two varieties are part of the same linguistic system, even if they are significantly different.