Meanings
nounsemilingualism (uncountable)
- uncountableThe phenomenon of people speaking several languages at a low level of development, with evident deficiencies in all languages.
Origin
From semilingual + -ism, introduced by a Swedish researcher Hansegård N. E. in 1975.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
semilingualism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semilingualism
MLA
“semilingualism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semilingualism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “semilingualism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semilingualism.
Source: semilingualism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.