Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using multiple languages, as opposed to one (monolingualism), either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. The generic term for a multilingual person is polyglot. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of globalization and cultural openness.
Where two languages are used, the term bilingualism is often preferred, and occasionally trilingualism is also used, for three languages.
There is a distinction between social and personal multilingualism. Many countries, such as Belgium, which are officially multilingual, may have many monolinguals in their population. Officially monolingual countries, on the other hand, such as France, can have sizable multilingual populations.
For example, Bolivia is officially multilingual, supporting Spanish and 36 native languages. In Djibouti, Arabic & French are the official languages, but people also speak Somali and Afar. Also, India is home to several hundred languages as Hindi, Urdu, English, and Bengali.
Multilingualism is most likely to occur:
1- When a child is raised by bilingual parents. It can also occur when the parents are monolingual but have raised their child in different countries.
2- When people have a strong interest in a foreign language
3- When people find it necessary to acquire a second language for practical purposes such as business, information gathering (Internet, mainly English or Spanish) or entertainment (foreign language films, books or computer game).
4- When people learn a different language for religious reasons.
