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Linguistics & Grammar vocabulary · Sociolinguistics

Bilingualism

Meaning in linguistics & grammar, with examples

/baɪˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm/nounCommon term

In linguistics & grammar, bilingualism means: The ability to use two languages, or the regular use of two languages by a person or a community; using more than two is called multilingualism.

In Turkish: iki dillilik

How it is used

Researchers describe types such as simultaneous and sequential bilingualism, and individual versus societal bilingualism. A bilingual person rarely knows both languages equally well in every area of life, and this is completely normal.

Example sentences

  1. Studies of Turkish-German bilingualism often look at families in Berlin.

  2. Early bilingualism does not cause language delay, despite what some parents fear.

Common collocations

  • simultaneous bilingualism
  • sequential bilingualism
  • societal bilingualism
  • early bilingualism
  • code-switchingMoving between two or more languages or varieties within one conversation or even within one sentence, a normal practice among bilingual speakers.
  • first languageThe language a person learns first, from birth or early childhood, usually the one they know best; linguists often shorten it to L1.
  • sociolinguisticsThe study of how language varies and changes with society: how age, region, social class, gender and situation shape the way people speak.
  • native speakerA person who learned a language from early childhood as one of their first languages and uses it naturally, without having studied it formally.

More terms: Sociolinguistics

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