Editing Written language (section)

=== <span class="anchor" id="Diglossia"></span><span class="anchor" id="Digraphia"></span>Diglossia and digraphia ===
{{Main|Diglossia|Digraphia}}
Diglossia is a sociolinguistic phenomenon where two distinct varieties of a language{{snd}}often one spoken and one written{{snd}}are used by a single language community in different social contexts.{{sfnp|Ferguson|1959|pp=325–340}}

The "high variety", often the written language, is used in formal contexts, such as literature, formal education, or official communications. This variety tends to be more standardized and conservative, and may incorporate older or more formal vocabulary and grammar.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hudson |first=Richard A. |title=Sociolinguistics |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-521-29668-7}}</ref> The "low variety", often the spoken language, is used in everyday conversation and informal contexts. It is typically more dynamic and innovative, and may incorporate regional dialects, slang, and other informal language features.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Romaine |first=S. |title=Bilingualism |publisher=Blackwell |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-631-19539-9}}</ref>

Diglossic situations are common in many parts of the world, including the [[Arab world]], where the high [[Modern Standard Arabic]] variety coexists with other, low [[varieties of Arabic]]  local to specific regions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Badawi |first=Elsald |title=Modern Written Arabic: A Comprehensive Grammar |last2=Carter |first2=Mike G. |last3=Gully |first3=Adam |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-415-66749-4}}</ref> Diglossia can have significant implications for language education, literacy, and sociolinguistic dynamics within a language community.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Myers-Scotton |first=Carol |title=Multiple Voices: An Introduction to Bilingualism |publisher=Blackwell |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-631-21936-1}}</ref> 

Analogously, ''[[digraphia]]'' occurs when a language may be written in different scripts. For example, [[Serbian language|Serbian]] may be written using either the [[Cyrillic]] or [[Latin script]], while [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] may be written in [[Devanagari]] or the [[Urdu alphabet]].{{sfnp|Coulmas|2002|pp=231–232}}