Editing Multilingualism (section)

==Definition==
[[File:Bilingual Finnish-Swedish construction area sign in Helsinki, Finland, 2022.jpg|thumb|A bilingual "no trespassing" sign at a construction site in [[Helsinki, Finland]] (upper text in [[Finnish language|Finnish]], lower text in [[Swedish language|Swedish]])]]
The definition of multilingualism is a subject of debate in the same way as that of language fluency. At one end of the linguistic continuum, multilingualism may be defined as the mastery of more than one language. The speaker would have knowledge of and control over the languages equivalent to that of a native speaker. At the opposite end of the spectrum would be people who know enough phrases to get around as a tourist using the alternate language. Since 1992, [[Vivian Cook (academic)|Vivian Cook]] has argued that most multilingual speakers fall somewhere between minimal and maximal definitions. Cook calls these people ''[[Multi-competence|multi-competent]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.viviancook.uk/Writings/Papers/MCentry.htm|title=Multi-competence definition|website=viviancook.uk|access-date=8 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022003750/http://www.viviancook.uk/Writings/Papers/MCentry.htm|archive-date=22 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="ParadowskiBator2016">{{cite journal |vauthors=Paradowski MB, Bator A |title=Perceived effectiveness of language acquisition in the process of multilingual upbringing by parents of different nationalities |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305368839 |journal=International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism |volume=21 |issue=6 |pages=1–19 |year=2016 |doi=10.1080/13670050.2016.1203858 |s2cid=148407626 }}</ref>

In addition, there is no consistent definition of what constitutes a distinct language.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cook|first=Vivian|title=Second Language Learning and Language Teaching|year=2008|publisher=Hodder Education|isbn=978-0-340-95876-6}}</ref> For instance, scholars often disagree whether [[Scots language|Scots]] is a language in its own right or merely a dialect of [[English language|English]].<ref>[[A.J. Aitken]] in ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'', Oxford University Press 1992. p.894</ref> Furthermore, what is considered a language can change, often for purely political reasons. One example is the creation of [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]] as a [[standard language]] on the basis of the [[Eastern Herzegovinian dialect]] to function as [[Dachsprache|umbrella]] for numerous [[South Slavic languages|South Slavic]] dialects; after the breakup of [[Yugoslavia]], it was split into [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]] and [[Montenegrin language|Montenegrin]]. Another example is the historical dismissal of [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] as a Russian dialect by the Russian [[tsar]]s to discourage national feelings.<ref>[[Ems Ukaz]]</ref>
Many small independent nations' schoolchildren are today compelled to learn multiple languages because of international interactions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foreign-language.org/|title=Writing With English As A Second Language|publisher=Foreign-Language.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421235102/http://foreign-language.org/|archive-date=21 April 2015}}</ref> For example, in Finland, all children are required to learn at least three languages: the two national languages (Finnish and Swedish) and one foreign language (usually English). Many Finnish schoolchildren also study further languages, such as German or Russian.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Korhonen|first=Muusa|date=2022-01-22|title=Foreign Languages in Finland's Educational System|url=https://www.thenewfederalist.eu/foreign-languages-in-finland-s-educational-system|access-date=2022-01-22|website=The New Federalist|language=en|archive-date=6 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406192100/https://www.thenewfederalist.eu/foreign-languages-in-finland-s-educational-system|url-status=live}}</ref>

In some large nations with multiple languages, such as [[India]], schoolchildren may routinely learn multiple languages based on where they reside in the country.

In many countries, bilingualism occurs through international relations, which, with English being a global [[lingua franca]], sometimes results in majority bilingualism even when the countries in question have just one domestic official language. This occurs especially in regions such as [[Scandinavia]] and the [[Benelux]], as well as among [[German language|Germanophones]], but the phenomenon has also been expanding into some non-Germanic countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.europelanguagejobs.com/blog/english-who-speaks-it-best.php|title=English as a second language: Who in Europe speaks it best?|publisher=Europe Language Jobs|date=31 July 2018|access-date=22 December 2018|archive-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405184022/https://www.europelanguagejobs.com/blog/english-who-speaks-it-best.php|url-status=live}}</ref>