Dialect vs. Diglossia — Simple Summary

 Dialect vs. Diglossia — Simple Summary

A dialect is a variation of a language used by people in a certain region or social group. Dialects differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. For example, Banyumas Javanese vs. Surabaya Javanese, or British English vs. American English.

A diglossia is a social situation where two forms of a language (or two different languages) exist together in a community, but each has a different function. One form is used for formal or official purposes (high variety), while the other is used for daily casual communication (low variety). For example, Standard Indonesian for speeches and news, while everyday Indonesian or local languages for informal conversation.

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Focus Difference

• Dialect studies how language forms vary across places and groups (sounds, grammar, vocabulary).

• Diglossia studies when, where, and why people use formal or informal language varieties in society.

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Illustrative Examples

Dialect example:
Jakarta, Medan, and Makassar varieties of Indonesian sound different but have equal status; there is no formal vs informal division.

Diglossia example:
Formal Indonesian for official speeches vs. informal Indonesian/local languages for daily talk.
In Arabic societies, Modern Standard Arabic is formal, while local dialects are for everyday use.

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Related Concepts Explained Simply

A. Dialect-related concepts

1. Dialect
   Language variation by region or group.
   Example: Banyumasan Javanese vs Surakarta Javanese.

2. Accent
   Different ways of pronouncing the same language.
   Example: American “water” vs British “water”.

3. Style
   Formal vs informal ways of speaking depending on situation.
   Example:
   Formal: “Could you please help me?”
   Informal: “Can you help me?” / “Bantuin dong.”

4. Register
   Special language used in professions or fields.
   Example: law terms (plaintiff), medical terms (diagnosis), academic terms (methodology).

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B. Diglossia-related concepts

1. Slang
   Informal, trendy words used by certain groups.
   Example: "baper", "mager", “lit”, “bruh”.

2. Lingua Franca
   A bridge language used between people who speak different native languages.
   Example: English internationally, Malay in past Southeast Asia.

3. Pidgin
   A simplified contact language for basic communication, with no native speakers.
   Example: early Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea.

4. Creole
   A pidgin that has developed into a full language with native speakers.
   Example: modern Tok Pisin, Haitian Creole.

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Very Simple One-Sentence Summary

A dialect is about differences in how people speak, while diglossia is about when people use formal versus informal language in society.