Diglossia

Diglossia is the coexistence of distinct language varieties within a community, with each conventionally used in different social settings or for different functions.

High variety: A language variety assigned to formal, public, or institutionally valued functions in a diglossic community. It occupies the formal side of the functional division between varieties.
Sociolinguistics: The study of how language varies and functions in social life. Diglossia is a pattern of socially organized language variation.
Charles A. Ferguson: An American linguist who formulated a foundational account of diglossia in 1959. His article established the classic framework of high and low varieties.
Swiss German: The Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland, alongside Standard German in distinct communicative domains. Swiss German and Standard German exemplify a widely discussed high–low division.
Language standardization: The process of selecting, codifying, and promoting a language variety as a norm. Standardization can strengthen the institutional position of a high variety.
Low variety: A language variety used chiefly in informal conversation and everyday local life in a diglossic community. It occupies the informal side of the functional division between varieties.
Speech community: A group whose members share norms for using and interpreting language. Shared expectations within a community make functional variety divisions recognizable.
Diglossia (Ferguson): Ferguson's model of diglossia, describing stable communities with functionally distinct high and low varieties. This influential formulation specifies the classic pattern behind the broader concept.
Haitian Creole: A French-lexified creole language spoken chiefly in Haiti, alongside French in formal and institutional domains. The relationship between Haitian Creole and French illustrates debates over language-based diglossia.
Language prestige: The social status granted to a language or variety by a community or institution. Unequal prestige often accompanies the distinction between high and low varieties.

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