Understanding Bilingualism and Language Contact

The Phenomenon of Bilingualism: Languages in Contact

The coexistence of two languages in the same area may give rise to two linguistic phenomena: bilingualism and diglossia.

Diglossia

Diglossia is a cultural anthropological phenomenon in which a language with more social and political prestige dominates another language with which it coexists. Its uses are unbalanced, and the second language, restricted to family communication and colloquial situations, is in danger of being lost.

Traits that Define Diglossia:

• Function and Prestige: One language holds higher social prestige and is used in formal settings.
• Acquisition: Language A is learned and perfected in school, while language B is primarily acquired at home.
• Literary Legacy: Scholarly literature is written in language A, while language B has lower or no literary value.

Bilingualism

This phenomenon occurs when two languages are used with ease and in combination in similar or comparable social situations, so both have the same social and cultural prestige. There are two types:

Individual Bilingualism

This refers to a person who has a high level of proficiency in both languages. Bilinguals use languages differently depending on the context.

Social Bilingualism

This refers to a community in which the two languages have official recognition and status.

In the Spanish state, both the Spanish constitution and the various statutes of autonomy recognize official bilingualism, but it has developed unevenly. In some areas, a greater standardization process is required, which is achieved through the development of institutions.

The monarchy in the eighteenth century, by imposing a single language for the entire state, hindered the co-existence between Iberian languages. This increased the situation of diglossia between Castilian and the other languages, which has caused serious social and cultural conflicts. The 1978 constitution, recognizing the official status of each of the languages in their respective communities together with Castilian, legally addressed this situation of inequality. In today's world, there are countless cases of countries that speak different languages. It is important to highlight a crucial fact of all contact between languages: interference.