trilinguals
Speakers of three
Trilinguals are people who speak three languages fluently.
The term describes both those who grew up with multiple languages and those who acquired them later: The conference hired trilinguals who could move easily between English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Less common than bilinguals, trilinguals often serve as bridges in multilingual settings.
Skilled performance level
- comprehensionMental understanding of meaning
- pronunciationManner of speaking words
- vocabularyOne's word collection
- grammarLanguage's structural rules
mastery · accent · expressiveness · balanced · receptive · productive · literacy · immersion
Sequential interchange of elements
- contextualRelative to surrounding conditions
- adaptiveAble to change accordingly
- jugglingSequential toss-and-catch performance
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
strategy · register · diglossia · situational
Mental check on behavior
- problem-solvingAddressing challenges methodically
- neuroplasticityBrain's self-rewiring ability
Those speaking many languages
State of fitting in
- biculturalOf two cultural backgrounds
- multiculturalIncluding multiple ethnic traditions
- ethnolinguisticOf language-tied peoples
- mother-tongueLanguage acquired from birth
native-speaker · attrition · maintenance · intergenerational
Extracting meaning from something
- mediationIntervention to resolve conflict
- bridgingConnecting separated things
- localizationAdapting for specific markets
- subtitlingAdding translated screen text
dubbing · transcription · transliteration · equivalence · glossary · terminology · back-translation · consecutive
proficiency
Skilled performance level
- comprehensionMental understanding of meaning
- pronunciationManner of speaking words
- vocabularyOne's word collection
grammar · mastery · accent · expressiveness · balanced · receptive · productive · literacy · immersion
alternation
Sequential interchange of elements
- contextualRelative to surrounding conditions
- adaptiveAble to change accordingly
- jugglingSequential toss-and-catch performance
conversational · strategy · register · diglossia · situational
inhibition
Mental check on behavior
- problem-solvingAddressing challenges methodically
- neuroplasticityBrain's self-rewiring ability
polyglots
Those speaking many languages
belonging
State of fitting in
- biculturalOf two cultural backgrounds
- multiculturalIncluding multiple ethnic traditions
- ethnolinguisticOf language-tied peoples
mother-tongue · native-speaker · attrition · maintenance · intergenerational
interpreting
Extracting meaning from something
- mediationIntervention to resolve conflict
- bridgingConnecting separated things
- localizationAdapting for specific markets
subtitling · dubbing · transcription · transliteration · equivalence · glossary · terminology · back-translation · consecutive · simultaneous
trilingualsmonolinguals
Those speaking one language
monoglots · bilinguals · polyglots · multilinguals · language learners