Multilingualism, Bilingualism & Diglossia

1. Rikhardo Kilmas (22202249018)
Jenifer Helena Madiuw (22202289021)
Andy Alyfia Petalolo (22202249013)
Members of Group 12B

2. Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the ability of an individual speaker or a community of speakers to communicate effectively in
three or more languages.
Contrast with monolingualism, the ability to use only one language. A person who can speak multiple languages
is known as a polyglot or a multilingual.
Example:
an English-speaking father married to a Mandarin Chinese speaking mother with the family living in Hong Kong,
where the community language (and primary language of education) is Cantonese. If the child goes to a
Cantonese medium school from a young age, then trilingualism will be the result.

3. Bilingualism
Bilingualism is the ability of an individual or the members of a community to use two languages effectively.
For example : Doni can speak English and Spanish

4. Diaglossia
In sociolinguistics, diglossia is a situation in which two distinct varieties of a language are spoken within the same speech community.
1. High Variety. Its learned at school. It’s speakers learn how to write and learn grammar rules. The high variety is ofen
considered the ‘correct’ variety and is prevented from changing a lot.
2. Low Variety. Not formally learned. It’s Speaker don’t formally learn grammar or writing its learned as a spoken language. The
low variety is more flexible and is more likely to change over time, because its not restricted by the rules of the high variety.

5. Example :
The most commonly discussed example is probably the Arabic language. In every Arabic country, there are different
dialects that differ in grammar, vocabulary and pronounciation from other dialects but also from Standard Arabic.
Standard Arabic is a very codified language, which is basically fixed in its rules and doesn't really change while the
dialects are constantly evolving. In casual speech with other locals, Arabs exclusively use their local dialect. But in
writing, in formal speeches, and the news broadcasts, Standard Arabic is used. And Standard Arabic is also used as a
"bridge language" when communicating with speakers from other dialects. But really only when necessary, only
when there is some problem communicating.

6. References
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-bilingualism-1689026
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-multilingualism-1691331#:~:text=Multilingualism%20is%20the%20abili
ty%20of,a%20polyglot%20or%20a%20multilingual
https://www.thoughtco.com/diglossia-language-varieties-1690392#:~:text=In%20sociolinguistics%2C%20digl
ossia%20is%20a,writing%20and%20another%20for%20speech