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semilingual. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
semilingual, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
semilingual in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From semi- + lingual.
Pronunciation
Adjective
semilingual (not comparable)
- Having a low profile in all of several languages that one can speak.
2014, Mia Halonen, Pasi Ihalainen, Language Policies in Finland and Sweden: Interdisciplinary and Multi-sited Comparisons:The harmful effects of semilingualism on the identity and psyche, together with an incomplete mastery of Swedish, made the semilingual person socially handicapped in comparison with the monolingual Swede.
Derived terms
Noun
semilingual (plural semilinguals)
- A person who knows two or more languages but exhibits low profile in all of them, that involves having poor vocabulary and wrong grammar.