Language Choice in Multilingual Communities

Introduction

1. Monolingualism: the ability to use a single language code very common in many parts of the Western world.
2. Bilingualism and Multilingualism are normal in most of cultures in the world (e.g. East, Asia) 

The following picture describes Kalala’s Linguistic Repertoire

What is Your Linguistic Repertoire?
•    Informal Indonesian
•    Ngoko Javanese
•    Arabic
•    English
•    Planet Language

Other Social Factors Affecting Code Choice
Leakage stated that the code associated with one domain is ‘leaking’ into another. Example: At home, people often discuss work or school, for instance, using the language associated with those domains, rather than the language of the family domain.

Diglossia

Diglossia is sosial and institutionalised bilingualism, where two varities are required to cover all the community’s domains. Example of Diglossia: Arabic –speaking countries, in Haiti, in Eggenwil, Swiotzerland. Two distinct varieties of the same language are used in the community with one regarded as a high (H) variety and the other a low (L) variety. Each variety is used for quite distinct functions; H and L complement each other. No one uses the H variety in everyday conversation.

Polyglossia
Polyglossia is a useful term for describing situations where more than two distinct codes or varieties are used clearly distinct purposes or in clearly distinguishable situations. Example of Polyglossia: Kalala’s linguistic repertoire.