Bilingualism by Agnes Lam

What is Bilingualism?

Bilingualism simply means the ability to communicate in two languages. English is not the native language in India. English Language had become an official language in India therefore English is not the native language for Indians. English is the Second Language in India. India is a multilingual country fully diversified with multiculturalism. Agnes Lam refers to bilingualism the phenomenon of competence and communication in two languages.

Bilingual Individuals

• Bilingual individual is someone who has the ability to communicate two languages alternatively, even when one language is being used in a monolingual context. (Bialystok, 2007, 2010)
• Such an ability or psychological state of an individual has been referred to as 'bilinguality'.

Bilingual individuals don't find it difficult to communicate in two languages and switch between two languages alternatively.

Bilingual Society:

A bilingual society is one in which two languages are used in communication. In bilingual society it is possible to have large number of monolinguals provided that they are enough bilinguals to perform the functions requiring bilingual competence in that society. 

• Individual Bilingualism

Individual psychological state of mind who uses two languages for communication purpose. 

• Societal Bilingualism

   In societal bilingualism community and that number of individual can use two languages.

Monoliguals :-

Those who Speaks only one of the tow language used in society.

Several Question Have been asked :-

Monolingual or Communicative norms :

Do we measure the competencies of bilingual persons against the respective competencies of monolingual persons ?

If so we end up with labeling some bilinguals as perfect bilinguals and other as imperfect bilinguals. Another approach is not to apply monolingual norms in measuring bilingual abilities but just to evaluate the communicative competence of the bilingual as a WhoGrosjean 1992