How Well Do You Understand Bilingualism?

• There are two contrasting views of individual bilinguals: fractional and holistic.
• The fractional view evaluates the bilingual as 'two monolinguals in one person'.
• The holistic view argues that the bilingual has a unique linguistic profile.
• The fractional view compares bilinguals' language proficiency against monolinguals' scores and averages, which is unfair.
• Bilinguals may be stronger in each language in different domains.
• The holistic view suggests that any assessment of a bilingual's language proficiency should be based on a totality of their language usage in all domains.
• The dominant view in countries like the US and UK is monolingual, and bilinguals are often seen as an exception.
• Bilinguals use their two languages with different people, in different contexts and for different purposes.
• The political reality in some countries deters a holistic view of bilingualism from developing.
• Bilinguals are a complete linguistic entity and should be evaluated based on their general communicative competence.

Are you intrigued by the concept of bilingualism? Do you want to learn more about the two contrasting views of individual bilinguals? Take this quiz to test your knowledge on the fractional and holistic views of bilingualism. Discover how bilinguals have a unique linguistic profile and why any assessment of their language proficiency should be based on a totality of their language usage in all domains. Challenge the dominant view of monolingualism and gain a deeper understanding of the complete linguistic entity that bilinguals are. Don