bilingualism
noun
bi·lin·gual·ism
(ˌ)bī-ˈliŋ-gwə-ˌli-zəm 
1
: the ability to speak two languages
2
: the frequent use (as by a community) of two languages
3
: the political or institutional recognition of two languages
Examples of bilingualism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Merel Keijzer, a linguist at the University of Groningen who studies bilingualism, surveyed a group of Dutch speakers who emigrated as adults to Australia.
—
Madeleine Schwartz Soneela Nankani Tanya Pérez Brian St. Pierre, New York Times, 14 May 2024
Students engage in a variety of activities that promote bilingualism and biliteracy, as well as sociocultural competency.
—Fredlyn Pierre Louis, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2024
But bilingualism is reworking the Tsimane' tricolor rainbow, researchers recently reported in Psychological Science—offering a rare, real-time glimpse into how learning a second language can change how people think about abstract concepts and fuel language evolution.
—Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2020
My own parents did not teach me Spanish because a teacher had told them, wildly, that bilingualism negatively affects cognitive learning.
—Marisa Tirado, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2023
An unusual piñata, and a lesson on fatherhood Spanglish is often described in the context of bilingualism.
—Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 23 Sep. 2023
Getting all Canadians on board with bilingualism, however, was easier said than done.
—Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2023
There is, says Chung-Fat-Yim, some connection between bilingualism and a theory of mind — the ability to attribute mental states to other people.
—Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 5 May 2021
Now, educators are more aware of the value of bilingualism.
—Sushma Subramanian, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2017
Madeleine Schwartz Soneela Nankani Tanya Pérez Brian St. Pierre, New York Times, 14 May 2024
Students engage in a variety of activities that promote bilingualism and biliteracy, as well as sociocultural competency.
—Fredlyn Pierre Louis, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2024
But bilingualism is reworking the Tsimane' tricolor rainbow, researchers recently reported in Psychological Science—offering a rare, real-time glimpse into how learning a second language can change how people think about abstract concepts and fuel language evolution.
—Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2020
My own parents did not teach me Spanish because a teacher had told them, wildly, that bilingualism negatively affects cognitive learning.
—Marisa Tirado, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2023
An unusual piñata, and a lesson on fatherhood Spanglish is often described in the context of bilingualism.
—Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 23 Sep. 2023
Getting all Canadians on board with bilingualism, however, was easier said than done.
—Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2023
There is, says Chung-Fat-Yim, some connection between bilingualism and a theory of mind — the ability to attribute mental states to other people.
—Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 5 May 2021
Now, educators are more aware of the value of bilingualism.
—Sushma Subramanian, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bilingualism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bilingualism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bilingualism. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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