Diglossia in Arabic Language

Posted: January 4th, 2023

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Diglossia in Arabic Language

Introduction

The study elaborates how diglossia exists in the Arabic speaking regions because the Arabic language has variants that are applicable in different settings. It begins by expounding on the meaning and various versions of diglossia, and shows how the sociolinguistic aspect differs depending on the L and H variants, as well based on lifestyle and critical diglossia. The Arabic is an example of a language where diglossia is evident in the way the language falls into MSA, classical Arabic and other dialects. Many Arabic speakers use MSA, whereas classical Arabic is more applicable in religious settings. The region would mostly define how a particular dialect is put into use, which makes the concept expressed in diglossia more real. The study calls on people to understand how their languages differ, and to know when the various communication approaches are applicable.  

Literature Review

Diglossia refers to a sociolinguistic scenario where members of the same society or community utilize two variants of a language in different situations to serve dissimilar purposes. It is common to witness how diglossia manifests across the globe in one way or the other. Often diglossia refers to a scenario where the two forms of a language vary in considerable ways, including variations in functionality, prestige, grammar, phonology, phonetics, and vocabulary among other aspects (Alshamrani 20). Usually, one of the two forms of diglossia acts as the vernacular that the locals would utilize as the community’s ethic language, while the other form, which is perceived to be elevated, is associated with modernity, prestige, and knowledge.

Many communities across the world have lived with diglossia for several centuries now. The sociolinguistic situation is common in countries such as Greece, German, and Switzerland where at least two or more language varieties are used interchangeably by members of the community.  The Greek diglossia is particularly different because it is part of a category where the language of the regions evolves and transforms as time moves (Ferguson 328). The Greek diglossia seems to imitate earlier linguistic styles preserved in written form, and is deemed to be classic and scholarly. The earliest recognized form of diglossia in Greece was discovered during the first century AD, where some scholars chose that, in order to make strengthen the association between the people and their culture around the 5^th century BC, people have to clinch to the dominant languages during the regime (Ferguson 329). The atticism design acted as a significant part of the written documents during the ancient times. Greek scholars during the period revitalized Katharevousa also called the purist language after the 1821 Greek War of Independence, and also to address the immediate and new societal needs. Katharevousa seemingly did not pass through the natural processes of language development, but rather it was an attempt to save or clean the language from vulgar forms that could be as a result of foreign influence, particularly from Slavic and Turkish languages, and also from Italian and French, and substituted them with classical Attic forms.  

In most African nations, several European languages as the official and prestigious languages, while the local languages are utilized everyday in less formal situations. The Senegalese, for example, speak Wolof as the local dialect, and may be regarded as the lingua franca in the West African state. The Senegalese, however, would only speak French in formal situations such as when seeking for jobs, at the workplace, or in learning institutions (Ferguson 329). Elsewhere in the West African state of Nigeria, the local people use English in formal situations although the Nigerians would make use of vernacular languages such as Yoruba and Igbo, in everyday or less formal talks. Alternatively, the Nigerians would employ the Nigerian English in less formal conditions. It is, however, for two or more speakers of different languages to use English as the official language in Africa or Europe, or even America (Ferguson 329). Also in Ivory Coast (a west African country) the people there use French as the prestige language in formal environments such as politics and corporations, while use a locally developed French as the local language that people employ in the streets, at the marketplace and other relaxed situations. The situation is not different in Mozambique where the Portuguese language that has more influence of the European lifestyle is used in casual places whereas the local Portuguese that has heavy influence of the local lifestyle is largely used in casual areas.  

The political and cultural factors play critical roles in determining the language variants that communities adopt. Such political and cultural factors also play vital functions in determining how a community employs the language variants. Culturally, the religion is a primary factor that influences how particular speakers or a community employ language variants, mainly because the dominance of a given language variant is connected to the relationship with particular religious practices and beliefs (Snow 63). Politically, the influence of colonialism is essential in determining how diglossia takes effect. Often, the countries that were colonized by a particular colonial power would utilize the language of their colonizers alongside their local dialects.

The two forms of a language used in a particular community that practices diglossia fall into two primary categories. One of these is the high category, usually denoted as H, while the other low variety, often depicted as L (Ferguson 327). Even though the two forms belong to the same language, the H variant is mostly applied in formal situations, and mostly follows certain guidelines in their usage. The L variant, on the other hand, is mostly applied in less formal settings such as at home or while interacting with relatives and friends, and is often uttered by word of mouth than written. The primary difference between the low and high categories is the latter follows a system of syntactical and grammatical regulations that define its usage, which makes it possible to apply it formal situations such as in the academic, political, and religious environments (Ferguson 331).  Although the language variants serve unlike purposes in the society where they are utilized, the functions complement to each other, and do not clash so much that a crisis develops. Societies that use both the L and H variants, for instance, sometimes interchange between each version while engaging in casual conversations and instructors who use the H form to teach may employ the L version to make a concept clearer or to engage the learners in other non-educational matters that would break the monotony that usually develops following a rigorous learning process (Ferguson 333). People who can interchange between the L and H versions without any difficulty enjoy added benefits because they can interact with a people from diverse backgrounds. It is important, however, for individuals to watch out how they switch between the L and H variants because prolonged use of a given type could result in the depletion of one’s ability to converse using the other form.

It is vital to know the two other categories of diglossia, which are lifestyle diglossia and critical diglossia. The variation explains how the sociolinguistic phenomenon is perceived in terms of utilization and origin of a given language. Lifestyle diglossia elaborates how it is possible to witness dignossia from below to up depending on people’s interactions with language and the societal category (Al Suwaiyan 297).  Lifestyle diglossia tries to explain that the way individuals know their identity, and serves a major role in defining how they use language. The notion asserts that globalization has pushed people to embrace lifestyles that are adopted from Western nations such as the UK, the U.S., Germany and France among others (Al Suwaiyan 297). People would also want to speak in a way that relates to such foreign lifestyles and cultures. The increased use of language patterns that have foreign influence results in a situation where the language gains prestige compared with the vernacular dialects. Critical diglossia, on the other hand, elaborates how different nations handle the languages they encounter or that fall within their boundaries. Critical diglossia also looks at how some languages or modes of speaking gain prominence overtime compared with others. Here, one language is perceived as tool that should only be applied in formal settings, and may not be wholly embraced or familiar to speakers of the L form. Critical diglossia tries to make clear that the beginning of the H variant is mainly due to factors that surpass the control of communities that only use vernacular languages (Al Suwaiyan 297). Knowing how to categorize diglossia using the approach exposes learners and investigators to much insight that helps to understand the concept much better.

It is vital to be aware of the relationship between diglossia and bilingualism to avoid confusing the two. Whereas bilingualism may sometimes be viewed as diglossia, it is crucial to treat the two concepts as dissimilar forms. Bilingualism refers to a situation where someone or a community can speak two languages proficiently, and use them interchangeably while interacting with communities that speak either of the two (Fishman 75). The bilinguals while using the languages interchangeably could either use the L or H variants, or could employ both forms if they have the same level of competency. Similar to individuals who can easily switch between the L and H versions of diglossia, bilinguals enjoy an added benefit because they can converse with a wide range of people as opposed to monolinguals. Paraguay is a good example of a country where the locals are bilinguals because at least each person can speak Spanish (a foreign language that entered the country following colonization by the Spanish), and Guarani (the local Paraguayan language) with the same mastery. Guarani in the case of Paraguay serves as the L variant while Spanish acts as the H version. It is possible for diglossia to exist without bilingualism, and this may happen is contexts where the socio-cultural variations between people are not so strong such that they influence people with the same strength the cultural, economic, and political forces that keep them together.

Analysis

An example of a region where diglossia is evident is in the Arabic-speaking countries where a variety of dialects is employed in everyday conversation. Arabic is one of the widely spoken languages today together with others such as English, Mandarin, Hindi, and Spanish. Out of the roughly 313 million people who use Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as their day-to-day mode of interaction, Egypt has the largest number of speakers with about 65 million people speaking the language. Algeria follows with approximately 29 million MSA speakers, and in the third place is Sudan where nearly 27 million use the language. Other countries that have considerably high numbers of MSA speakers include Iraq, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Morocco. Globalization is attributed to be the leading cause of the infiltration by MSA speakers into parts of Asia, Brazil, the U.S., and Europe.

Diglossia is evident in the Arabic world in the way the dominant language (Arabic) is categorized into different forms. Arabic is mainly classified into classical Arabic, MSA, and the available dialects. The idea that religion plays a vital role in determining the language variants a community embraces is more evident in the Arabic-speaking nations where the classic Arabic shares intimate connection with Islam (Al Suwaiyan 230). Muslims in the Arabic world would employ the local dialects in different scenarios, which illustrate how diglossia takes effect (Al Suwaiyan 230). Often, the classical form would be used in religious contexts when reading or reciting from the Quran. The use of the other dialects mainly depends on the region where they are utilized. MSA is different from the classical version that is mostly used in the Quran in the way it has gone through Europeanization, which has significantly transformed some areas of the grammar and vocabulary.

One is likely to understand the variations that exist in the Arabic language by looking at the historical development of the language. Some scholars such as Guth who serves as a tutor at the University of Middle Eastern Oslo argue that the origin of the language must have been the Semitic languages people used between the Arabian Peninsula and the Fertile Crescent. Other thinkers purport that the Arabic script must have emanated from Mesopotamia at a place called Al Hirah between the 4^th and 7^th centuries (Ghazal). Another group of thinkers purport that the Arabic language traces its origin from Himyar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, somewhere between 110 BC and AD 525 (Ghazal). The possible variations in the development of Arabic might be the reason several dialects of the language are used in different regions. Even though some of these dialects are closely related, some are far much challenging, and may not be understood by some Arabic speakers. The Moroccan Arabic dialect is an example of a version that is difficult for other Arabic speakers.

The influence of diglossia in is so strong in the Arabic world such that it influences how people converse with each other even in official TV stations. Alshamrani (24) examines the types of diglossia in the Arabic language, and evaluates the scenarios under which they are utilized in some TV stations in the region. To achieve the purpose, Alshamrani (24) performs a cross-sectional research study that entailed systematic review and observation of filmed content and programs. The evaluators learnt after analyzing the data that diglossia was discovered in the channels under investigation in two different forms, low and high Arabic. Alshamrani (25) discovered that even though both types were identified across the TV stations under study, the utilization of each form depended on the character and circumstance of each channel. The station that targets more official people largely employed the H variant while station that targeted most of the populace largely employed the L variant (28). The study offers recommendations that would help policy makers to transform language planning, especially with regard to their use in official TV stations, as well as on how to improve the Arabic language. More essentially, the findings from the study may help to perform future researches that would improve the nature of the Arabic language. The study informs that the Arabic language is rich in variety, and the language in a given society can take different forms.

The framework (diglossia) reveals that it is not uncommon to experience the phenomena, especially when the community comprises of more than one culture. It shows how whereas bilingualism may be a contributor for diglossia to exist, the existence of various forms serve as the major reason for the different forms of speaking in the Arabic world. That, however, might not be the case in cases like Uruguay where diglossia exists because of the existence of more than one language that the locals can speak very well. The study illustrates how it is upon every individual to understand how their language differs, and how they might be forced to use language differently depending on place.  

Conclusion

The study elaborates how diglossia takes effect, and pays considerable attention to how the sociolinguistic phenomenon takes effect in the Arabic language. The report begins by offering detailed description about diglossia, and shows how scholars categorize the concept into H and L variants, and further into critical and lifestyle diglossia. The high version has much influence from foreign countries, and is largely applicable in formal settings such as political, legal, religious, and business environments. The low variant, on the other hand, does not rely on any specific syntactical and lexical guidelines as it happens with the H version, and has heavy influence of the local practices and beliefs.  Lifestyle diglossia defines how people recognize their nature, and acts a great role in elaborating how they make use of language. Critical diglossia, on the other hand, tries to clarify that the start of the H version is mainly due to factors that exceed the authority of communities that only make use of vernacular languages. More essentially, the study informs on how despite the links between diglossia and bilingualism, the two have considerable variations that differentiate them. The report makes use of Arabic, which has more than 300 million speakers globally, and shows how people would use MSA, classical, and other dialects of Arabic depending on the situation and place. The findings of the report are significant in many ways and mainly encourage people to acquire much insight on the nature of their languages to understand how they differ. The report informs people on when to use the various forms of language depending on the context, and elaborates how language use may define a person’s background and social affiliation.

Works Cited

Alshamrani, Hassan. “Diglossia in Arabic TV stations. Journal of King Saud University – Language and Translations, vol. 24, no. 1, 2012, pp. 20-31. 

Al Suwaiyan, Laila. “Diglossia in the Arabic Language.” International Journal of Language and Linguistics, vol. 5, no. 3, 2018, pp. 228-238.

Ferguson, Charles. “Diglossia.” Word, vol. 15, no. 2, 1959, pp. 325–340.

Fishman, Joshua. “Bilingualism with and without Diglossia: Diglossia with and without Bilingualism.” Journal of Social Issues, vol. 23, no. 2, 1967, pp. 29–38.

Ghazal, Rym. “Examining the Origins of Arabic Ahead of Arabic Language Day.” The National, 15 Dec. 2016. www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/examining-the-origins-of-arabic-ahead-of-arabic-language-day-1.199916. Accessed on 11 December, 2019.

Snow, Don. “Revisiting Ferguson’s Defining Cases of Diglossia.” Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, vol. 34, no. 1, 2013, pp. 61–76.