Name: Mohamed Atef Mohamed Bassiouny

List number:305
Ain Shams University
Al-Alsun Faculty
English department
Lingustics Reasearch:
Diglossia and Code Switching
Submitted to: Dr/ Fayrouz
 Diglossia is characteristic of speech communities rather than
individuals. The term diglossia describes societal or institutionalised
bilingualism, where two varieties are required to cover all the
community's domains. The criteria which identify diglossic communities
were initially interpreted very stringently, so that few communities
qualified as diglosssic. Later it became clear that some sociolinguists felt
that the term could usefully be extended. The egyptien community uses
classical Arabic as his high variety, and regional colloquial varieties as
low varietes. The pattern of code or variety choice in Egypt is one which
has been described with the term diglossia. This term has been used both
in a narrow sense and in much broader sense. In the narrow and original
sense of the term, diglossia has three crucial features:
1) Two distinct varieties of the same language are used in the
community with one regarded as a high (or H) variety and the other
a low (or L) variety.
2) Each variet is used for quite distinct funtions; H and L complement
each other.
3) No one uses the H variety in everyday conversation.
Although, most of the vocabulary of H and L is the same, not surprisingly
since it is used in more formal domains, the H vocabulary includes many
more formal and technical terms such as syadtk (Arabic: 5‫ )سيادتك‬and
Moaarch (Arabic: ‫)مؤرخ‬, while the L variety has words for everyday
objects such as soltanya (Arabic: ‫ )سلطانية‬and hasyra (Arabic: ‫)حصيرة‬.
There are also some interesting paired items for frequently referred to
concepts such as room in low variety odaa (Arabic: ‫ )أوضة‬and in high
variety ghorfaa (Arabic: ‫)غرفة‬.
The only question that appeares strongly is if either of varietes can
displace the other and dominate this particular language. Considering the
language from that angel, lingusts found that two language are extremely
important for language survival. No one can use either of the two varities
through his whole day.
In Arabic language clasical arabic is the language used in formal
occassions, religion, literature, Newspaper, Broadcasting, Education.
While colloquial Arabic is used widely in many other contexts such as
home, streets, clubs and among friends. Although the abandon of either of
varieties is critically impossible, the increasing of using one variety over
another is highly possible. In egypt, for instance, colloquial arabic is
becoming more popular as the passing of time. Some contexts mentioned
above such as literature has became to warning extent depending on
colloquial arabic.
Moreover, some newspapers appeared to have certain sections for readers
of colloquial arabic - and sometimes the whole news paper is written in
colloquial arabic. On the other hand classical arabic could not by anyway
invade contexts which are colloquial are used in such as home and among
friends. The effect in such case can be noticed over passing of many
years. The real major concern is the disappearing of classical arabic,
especially when colloquial arabic replaced classical arabic in poetry.
paired items between classical and colloquial arabic expressed the great
distance between both of varietes:

Classica Colloquia Syntactica Morphologic Phonologic Lexica

l Arabic l Arabic l level al level al level l level
‫ذبابة‬ ‫دبانة‬ √
‫ال أحب‬ ‫مبحبش‬ √
5‫ضابط‬ ‫ظابط‬ √
‫حديقة‬ ‫جنينة‬ √
‫آسف‬ ‫معلش‬ √
‫أين كتابك‬ ‫√ كتابك فين‬
 ‫فأر‬ ‫فار‬ √
‫ذئب‬ ‫ديب‬ √
‫منضدة‬ ‫ترابيزة‬ √
‫اآلن‬ ‫دلوقتي‬ √

The diglossia is not limited to one language only. Sometimes two

bilingual members of community choose to transfer to another language
instinctively. Although within the same language people may select a
particular variety or code because it make it easier to discuss a particular
topic regardless of where they are speaking. This is described as Code
Swithching .
In egypt, one of most common places this tend to happen within it is
university. Most egyptien univesity students make an immediate code
switching from the moment they enter university campus and that start to
progress from then till graduation. This is considered one of most crucial
factors that cause changing in language.
Users of language are unaware of that until someone draw their attention
for this point. There is variouse of reason participate in that which is the
great change in social situation or the features of the domain, the place is
not familier at all, i.e the student for the first time have their freedom to
say whatever they want, the way they want, to whover they want
regardless from they have used to make.
It is obviouse that students come from different places, backgrounds and
social classes so they are tend to fulfill what they couldnot reach before in
communication. Their status, the new status of being compiled to deal
with all these different people, starting from class college till the
professor that teach them. Each and every one may have certain code to
communicate with. So Many factors can affect the whole process by
interfering of any unexpected element. The professors for example are
one of main factors that mainly shape the code students would switch to
in the lectures. For example, one professor will allow the student side
talks, which would be more formal in the presence of the professor, on
the contrary if there is side talk between them in absence of the teacher in
the same class room.
That doesnot mean that students donont freely choose the variety. one
student can use the same variety both in presence and absence of
professore. So the most important element finally is the person himself.
Despite all the factors face him, the only responsible for the variety in use
is the student. That is waht makes the individual differences between a
student and another. The student is the only one who can control the
variety of language in university.
Reference page:-

 Sayahi, Lotfi., (2014). Diglossia and Language Contact: Language

Variation and change in North Africa (1st ed). United
Kingdom,:Cambridge university press.

 Versteegh, Kees (1997). The Arabic Language,(3rd ed). Edinburgh,:

Edinburgh University press.

 Rouchdy, Aleya. Language Contact and Language Conflict in

Arabic: variations on a Sociolinguistic Theme,: Routladge.

 Rouchdy, Aleya. (1992). The Arabic Language in America (1st ed).

Detroit, Michigan,: Wayne State University Press.