The bilingual as a competent but specific speaker‐hearer

TLDR

The monolingual view, which treats bilinguals as two monolinguals in one person, has dominated research, overlooking the bilingual’s unique linguistic configuration. This study outlines the monolingual view, critiques its negative impact on bilingual research, and proposes a holistic view of bilingualism. The authors describe the holistic view and examine its implications across four research areas: comparing monolinguals and bilinguals, language learning and forgetting, speech modes, and bilingual children and semilingualism.

Abstract

Abstract A particular view of bilingualism — the monolingual (or fractional) view — has been given far too much importance in the study of bilinguals. According to it, the bilingual is (or should be) two monolinguals in one person. In this paper, the monolingual view is spelled out, and the negative consequences it has had on various areas of bilingual research are discussed. A bilingual (or wholistic) view is then proposed. According to it, the bilingual is not the sum of two complete or incomplete monolinguals; rather, he or she has a unique and specific linguistic configuration. This view is described and four areas, of research are discussed in its light: comparing monolinguals and bilinguals, language learning and language forgetting, the bilingual's speech modes, the bilingual child and 'semilingualism'.