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Keywords: diglossia, Switzerland, bilingualism, language functions, Ferguson
Abstract
The article addresses the issue of diglossia in its original and extended definition. The main point of discussion is the validity of the 'defining cases' of diglossia selected by Ferguson (1959) to substantiate his concept. The four well-known pairs of languages described by Ferguson in his seminal article include the 'Swiss pair' of Standard German and Swiss German and their functional distribution. Following a number of critical opinions, I will show that the consistency between the definition and its Swiss illustration raises a few questions and cannot be considered tenable. Lastly, I will highlight the main differences between diglossia and bilingualism as two phenomena which in certain contexts may overlap.
1. Introduction
Languages and their varieties exist in complex interrelations in which they are assigned different tasks. The combination of the forms and functions of distinct codes came to be known as a specific type of bilingualism or diglossia. The term is inseparably linked with Charles Ferguson and his article of 1959, in which diglossia was officially introduced into sociolinguistic literature. Since Ferguson was the first to describe this phenomenon, his definition is considered to be the classic version, especially in view of the later modifications to the concept proposed by Joshua Fishman (1967). The diglossie view of bilingualism builds on domains which are vital in the macro-analysis of functional distribution within multilingual or multidialectal speech communities (Fishman 1972: 44). Such societies recognise two or more languages in intra-societal communication. Also, diglossia is considered to reinforce social distinctions. Romaine (1994: 47) describes the procedure of ascribing languages to domains as "compartmentalization of varieties", which understandably restricts access to some of the domains due to the mismatch of a given variety with a particular context (also cf. Fasold 1984, Martinet 1986: 245).
Diglossia is one of the key concepts in the study of societal multilingualism. It belongs to the macro-level of sociolinguistics since it is a phenomenon relating more to a group rather than an individual. The attempts at a revision of the original concept, and the multitude of interpretations, prove the intense interest it aroused in scholars. Apart from that, another reason for introducing this issue in this article is the diglossie relationship between Standard German...