International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Perspectives about Diglossia in the Arab World
Dr. Sabah Salman Sabbah, Ph.D.

Abstract
This article paper aims to highlight the sociolinguistic phenomenon of “diglossia”. A comprehensive discussion of Ferguson‟s theory of diglossia is presented with more focus on diglossia definition and the use of language varieties. More specifically, some debates launched by Professor El-Hassan, Shaher, (1977) relating to the verification of Ferguson‟s theory for the Arabic language are emphasized. Multi-dimensional characterizations of diglossia in relation to attitudes and usage that included function, prestige, literary heritage, acquisition, standardization, stability, grammar, lexicon and phonology of diglossia in the Arab world are illustrated. Evidence from the Arabic Language are provided to illustrate each dimension. At the end of the article, a comparison between different spoken examples of dialectical expressions of some Arab countries are stated alongside their English-letters transliteration as the practical side of the article with a purpose of elucidating diglossia in the Arab world

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