Multilingualisms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The use of multiple languages by an individual or community, showcasing proficiency in more than one language
2. The existence of several languages spoken concurrently within a specific region or group, reflecting diverse linguistic practices
3. The practice or phenomenon of conversing in various languages, indicating a rich tapestry of cultural and linguistic exchanges

Etymology: The word is a plural, so its history is the history of "multilingualism," which is built from the Latin "multus" ("many") and "lingua" ("tongue, language"), joined to the English "multilingual" and the suffix "-ism," a Greek-derived ending that turns an adjective into a noun for a state, condition or practice. Its "multi-" comes down through Latin from a very old Indo-European root meaning "much" or "many," while "lingua" is ultimately related to the Latin "lingo," from an earlier form that preserved an older sound pattern. Taken together, the sense is that of a condition: "multilingualism" names the state of a community in which several languages live side by side. Adding the plural turns that abstract condition into countable cases, so the form usually refers to the different varieties of such situations across regions or groups.

Synonyms: polyglotism, bilingualism