monolingual
monolingual — adjective
1. describes a person who can speak and understand only one language, rather than t
describes a person who can speak and understand only one language, rather than two or more
Ziad grew up in a small town and remained monolingual until he moved abroad for university.
predicative: remained monolingual + until [event]
Many elderly people in the village are monolingual and have never needed a second language.
The school's program is designed for monolingual children who have no prior exposure to other languages.
Darius is monolingual in Farsi, but he plans to study Turkish next year.
Ravindra works in Dubai with colleagues from India, Egypt, and the Philippines, and his monolingual English is no longer enough.
- unilingual
much less common; used mainly in Canadian English (e.g., unilingual French speaker)
- bilingual
able to speak two languages fluently
- multilingual
able to speak three or more languages
文法句型
monolingual + noun
be + monolingual
monolingual + in + language
用法筆記
Frequently used in contrast with bilingual and multilingual when discussing language education, demographics, or personal language skills.
常見錯誤
2. describes a country, region, or community whose people use a single language for
describes a country, region, or community whose people use a single language for everyday communication and official business
Japan is often described as a largely monolingual society despite having regional dialects.
attributive: monolingual society / community / country
The remote island community remained monolingual for centuries because few outsiders visited.
When a Nagoya car-parts maker signed a contract with Mexican and German suppliers, its monolingual Japanese staff faced communication problems.
The team studied how a once monolingual region gradually became bilingual after the border changed.
- single-language
less common compound adjective, often used before a noun (e.g., single-language policy)
- multilingual
using many languages within a society or region
- bilingual
using two official or main languages
文法句型
monolingual + noun (society / country / region / community)
remain + monolingual
once + monolingual
用法筆記
Subject is typically a collective noun — country, society, region, or community. This sense focuses on the language practice of a group, not of an individual.
3. describes a book, document, or test that is written or given in only one languag
describes a book, document, or test that is written or given in only one language, with no translations into other languages
The library's monolingual dictionary gave definitions in French with no English translations.
attributive: monolingual dictionary / textbook / exam
Ari sat at the wooden desk in the testing center and opened the monolingual TOEFL iBT reading section.
The museum created a monolingual guide for visitors who speak only Japanese.
Teachers prefer monolingual textbooks because they encourage students to think directly in the target language.
- single-language
less common compound adjective used similarly for materials (e.g., single-language dictionary)
- bilingual
containing or written in two languages side by side (e.g., bilingual dictionary)
文法句型
monolingual + noun (dictionary / textbook / exam / guide)
用法筆記
Only sense that typically appears with nouns referring to written or educational materials. Frequently used in language-teaching methodology discussions.