monolinguals
One-tongue people only
Monolinguals are people who speak only one language.
The term appears most often in linguistics research comparing language abilities: Bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on certain cognitive tasks.
In casual use, monolingual often carries slight condescension, implying insularity—particularly when Americans or Britons are the monolinguals in question.
Speakers of two languages
- multilingualsPeople speaking several languages
- polyglotsThose speaking many languages
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
native speakers · mother tongue · first language · L1 · vocabulary · grammar · proficiency · speech
Gaining fluency in another tongue
- immersionState of being submerged
- second languageTongue learned after childhood
- foreign languageAnother nation's speech
- ESLLanguage instruction abbreviation
curriculum · classroom · instruction · pedagogy · language barrier · translation · interpretation · study abroad
Native speaker of English
- cultural isolationSeparation from outside societies
- globalizationWorldwide economic and cultural integration
- travelMovement between locations
- xenophobiaHatred of outsiders
ethnocentrism · insularity · parochialism · worldview · diversity · integration · assimilation · immigration
Computational interpretation of speech
- brainSeat of cognition
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
- mental flexibilityCapacity to adapt thinking
memory · thought patterns · perception · cognitive load · neural pathways · processing speed · verbal reasoning
Limited to one language
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- censusOfficial population count
- statisticsCollected numerical information
- majorityOver half of total
minority languages · official language · national language · endangered languages · heritage speakers
bilinguals
Speakers of two languages
- multilingualsPeople speaking several languages
- polyglotsThose speaking many languages
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
fluency · native speakers · mother tongue · first language · L1 · vocabulary · grammar · proficiency · speech · communication
language learning
Gaining fluency in another tongue
- immersionState of being submerged
- second languageTongue learned after childhood
- foreign languageAnother nation's speech
ESL · curriculum · classroom · instruction · pedagogy · language barrier · translation · interpretation · study abroad · language courses
anglophone
Native speaker of English
- cultural isolationSeparation from outside societies
- globalizationWorldwide economic and cultural integration
- travelMovement between locations
xenophobia · ethnocentrism · insularity · parochialism · worldview · diversity · integration · assimilation · immigration · expatriates
language processing
Computational interpretation of speech
- brainSeat of cognition
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
mental flexibility · memory · thought patterns · perception · cognitive load · neural pathways · processing speed · verbal reasoning
English-only
Limited to one language
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- censusOfficial population count
- statisticsCollected numerical information
majority · minority languages · official language · national language · endangered languages · heritage speakers
monolingualspolyglots
Those speaking many languages
multilinguals · bilinguals · bilingual speakers · trilinguals · interpreters