Diglossia of languages

A. There are about 6,000 languages in the world and only 200-odd countries; this shows that multilingualism in nations is a norm.

B. The appearance otherwise is explained by the fact that only a quarter of the world’s countries recognize two languages officially, and only four recognize three or more. India recognizes Hindi, English, and 14 regional languages; Singapore: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English; Spain: Spanish, Catalan, and Basque; and Luxembourg: French, German, and the local German dialect Letzebuergesch.

C. Languages typically share space in a country in diglossic relationships. An example is Paraguay, where the official languages are Spanish and the Native American language Guaraní. But the two languages are not simply used side by side in all contexts. Guaraní is used as the L language and Spanish as the H one.

D. In fact, where there is extensive bilingualism, diglossia is almost inevitable.

1. In Quebec before 1974, English was the H language and French the L one. But in the 1970s, a law was enacted that made French the province’s official language and required the use of French in the government and on public signs. This has been a delicate and charged situation, imposed rather than emerging by itself.

2. Although extensive bilingualism without diglossia is rare, diglossia can exist among an elite in a society even when most of the society’s people are not bilingual. In Czarist Russia, upper-class people often spoke French among themselves, especially on formal occasions. French was the H and Russian was the L.