Typical traits of diglossia

A. Writing versus speaking. People read the paper in H and discuss the issues in L. Speeches are given in H; conversations are conducted in L.

B. Acquisition. H is learned in school; L is learned at home.

C. Standardization. H is standardized with official “rules,” while nonstandard varieties are described systematically only by academic linguists, missionaries, and similar researchers. This lack of standardization often encourages several L’s to arise, such as the many nonstandard dialects of German.

D. Prestige. People tend to disown that they speak L, or do not consider L a “real language” (there were riots in Greece in 1903 over the publication of the New Testament in Dhimotikí).