What Is Bilingual? Definition And Usage Of This Term
WHAT IS BILINGUAL – In this topic, we will first know and learn the definition of this term and how is this term used in sentences.
Definition
The Oxford Dictionary defines the term as the following:
- (of a person) speaking two languages fluently.
- (of a text or an activity) written or conducted in two languages.
- (of a country, city, or other community) using two languages, especially officially.
- a person fluent in two languages.
Meanwhile, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines this term as the following:
- having or expressed in two languages
- using or able to use two languages especially with equal fluency
- of or relating to bilingual education
Synonyms
Here are some of the following synonyms:
- multilingual
Etymology
It is an mid 19th century term which is from the Latin term bilinguis, which is a combination of the prefix bi- which means ‘having two’, lingua or ‘tongue‘, and the suffix –al.
Examples
Here are some examples of the usage of this term:
- According to the statistical returns there were 139 administrative sub-districts where only Czech was spoken and 95 speaking only German, as opposed to only five bilingual ones.
- In the bilingual inscriptions, Tibetan and Chinese, set up at Lhasa in 822, and published by Bushell in 1880, we remark that the silent letters were pronounced: Tib.
- In the 9th century, as shown by the bilingual Tibeto-Chinese edict at Lhasa, there was relatively little difference between the spoken and the written language.
- In general, the later books of the Old Testament show, roughly speaking, a greater simplicity and uniformity of style, as well as a tendency to Aramaisms. For some centuries after the Exile, the people of Palestine must have been bilingual, speaking Aramaic for ordinary purposes, but still at least understanding Hebrew.
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