monolingualism
Speaking just one
Monolingualism is the condition of speaking or knowing only one language.
The term often appears in discussions contrasting monolingual societies with multilingual ones, or when examining how single-language speakers navigate diverse environments: American monolingualism can be a disadvantage in international business.
The word sometimes carries a faintly critical edge, implying insularity.
Limited to one language
- AmericanizationAdopting US cultural norms
- AnglicizationAdapting to English conventions
- RussificationEnforced cultural assimilation
- GermanisationConversion to German culture
Teaching using English language
Speech-emphasis in deaf education
- deaf educationSchooling for the hearing-impaired
- lip readingVisual speech interpretation
- cochlear implantImplanted auditory nerve stimulator
- hearingPerceiving sound waves
English-only
Limited to one language
- AmericanizationAdopting US cultural norms
- AnglicizationAdapting to English conventions
- RussificationEnforced cultural assimilation
English-medium
Teaching using English language
oralism
Speech-emphasis in deaf education
- deaf educationSchooling for the hearing-impaired
- lip readingVisual speech interpretation
- cochlear implantImplanted auditory nerve stimulator
hearing · audism · speech therapy · deaf culture · mainstreaming
prescriptivism
Enforcing linguistic correctness
- linguistic purismResistance to language change
- sociolinguisticssociolinguistics, diglossia, dialects, code-switching, registers
- language lossendangered languages, critically endangered
- language policyofficial languages, immersion programs, English-only, citizenship tests
monolingualismmultilingualism
Multiple language proficiency
bilingualism · plurilingualism · polyglotism · trilingualism · language diversity
language, polyglot, bilingual, multilingual, mono, bilingualism, trilingual, lingua, monolingual