Bilingualism and diglossia
In many countries, regional variation is not simply a matter of two (or more)
dialects of a single language, but can involve two (or more) quite distinct and
different languages. Canada, for example, is an officially bilingual country, with
both French and English as official languages. This recognition of the linguistic
rights of the country’s French speakers, largely in Quebec, did not come about
without a lot of political upheaval.