diglossia

/dɪˈɡlɒsɪə/

Definitions

1. noun

A situation in which two or more languages are used in a society, often with one language being used in formal situations and the other in informal ones.

“In many Arab countries, diglossia exists between the formal language used in government and literature and the informal dialects spoken in everyday conversation.”

Synonyms

  • language variation
  • linguistic dualism

Antonyms

  • linguistic uniformity
  • monolingualism