Plurilingualism is the ability of a person who has competence in more than one language to switch between multiple languages depending on the situation for ease of communication.[1] Plurilingualism is different from code-switching in that plurilingualism refers to the ability of an individual to use multiple languages, while code-switching is the act of using multiple languages together.[2] Plurilinguals practice multiple languages and are able to switch between them when necessary without much difficulty.[3] Although plurilingualism is derived from multilingualism (also referred to as bilingualism), there is a difference between the two. Multilingualism is connected to situations wherein multiple languages exist side-by-side in a society but are utilized separately. In essence, multilingualism is the coexisting knowledge of separate languages while plurilingualism is the interconnected knowledge of multiple languages. In general, plurilinguals have had contact with languages not native to them through educational institutions, however the education system plays only a small role in the linguistic competence of these individuals.[4] Learning a second language is thought to stimulate someone's plurilingualism.[1]
- ^ a b Gorter, Durk; Cenoz, Jasone (2013-09-01). "Towards a Plurilingual Approach in English Language Teaching: Softening the Boundaries Between Languages". TESOL Quarterly. 47 (3): 591–599. doi:10.1002/tesq.121. ISSN 1545-7249.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:02was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lüdi, Georges; Py, Bernard (2009-05-01). "To be or not to be … a plurilingual speaker". International Journal of Multilingualism. 6 (2): 154–167. doi:10.1080/14790710902846715. ISSN 1479-0718. S2CID 145273873.
- ^ "Council of Europe Language Policy Portal". Language policy.