diglossia
[ dahy-glos-ee-uh, -glaw-see-uh ]
/ daɪˈglɒs i ə, -ˈglɔ si ə /
noun
the widespread existence within a society of sharply divergent formal and informal varieties of a language each used in different social contexts or for performing different functions, as the existence of Katharevusa and Demotic in modern Greece.
Pathology.
the presence of two tongues or of a single tongue divided into two parts by a cleft.
Origin of diglossia
OTHER WORDS FROM diglossia
di·glos·sic [dahy-glos-ik] /daɪˈglɒs ɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby diglossia
digitized,
digitoxin,
digitron,
digitule,
digitus,
diglossia,
diglot,
diglyceride,
diglycol,
diglycolic acid,
dignified
British Dictionary definitions for diglossic
diglossia
/ (daɪˈɡlɒsɪə) /
noun
linguistics
the existence in a language of a high, or socially prestigious, and a low, or everyday, form, as German and Swiss German in Switzerland
Word Origin for diglossia
C20: New Latin, via French, from Greek
diglōssos speaking two languages: see
diglot
Medical definitions for diglossic
diglossia
[ dī-glŏs′ē-ə ]
n.
bifid tongue