Polyglossia

Polyglossia (pronunciation: /ˌpɒlɪˈɡlɒsɪə/) is a noun that refers to the coexistence of multiple languages (or distinct varieties of the same language) in one society or area. Polyglossia is mentioned in a 1965 paper[1] (author unknown) in the journal The Expository Times in characterizing the nature of speaking in tongues at Pentecostal church services in contrast with an alternative characterization—glossolalia. The word was further used in a number of anthropology journals in the 1970s referencing multilingual communities in Malaysia, Singapore and the Caucasus region.[2]

Polyglossia is a useful term for describing situations where more than two distinct language varieties are used for clearly distinct purposes.