philosophical Life

Diglossia

High vs. Low Language

Some languages are used in schools, politics, and religion (High), while others belong to homes and daily life (Low).

From Arabic to Afghanistan’s Pashto and Dari, diglossia shows us that language is not just communication, it’s about power, prestige, and identity.

Have you ever noticed how we switch languages or speaking styles depending on who we talk to?

That’s called code-switching - the practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties in a single conversation (Gumperz, 1982)