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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ One-language person 🗣️ One-language only
monoglot

monoglot

8.5
Speaking only one language
  • adjective
  • /ˈmɒnəˌɡlɒt/
translation icon : monolingüe
  • The school offers special programs for monoglot students to learn a second language.

Examples

  • Many monoglot individuals find it challenging to communicate when traveling abroad.

  • Despite traveling widely, he remained a proud monoglot all his life.

  • In some regions, being a monoglot is common due to limited exposure to other languages.

  • She is a monoglot who only speaks English.

  • Being a monoglot can limit job opportunities.

  • Despite living in a multicultural city, she is still a monoglot who only speaks French.

  • In today's global world, being a monoglot may hinder one's career prospects.

Antonyms

bilingual
33 4.0

Able to speak two languages well

multilingual
7 4.3

Able to speak or use more than one language

How Many Languages

polyglot
2 7.7
multilingual
7 4.3
trilingual
1 5.3
bilingual
33 4.0
monoglot
8.5

Surface Forms

monoglot positive

Morphology

monoglot = mono + glot

The prefix mono- clearly means 'one', but glot is a bound classical form for 'language' or 'tongue' rather than a common standalone English word, so the meaning is not readily recoverable for most learners.

Etymology

Monoglot comes from mono- ('one') and -glot ('tongue' or 'language'), the same mono- you see in monologue. So as an adjective it describes a person, school, or place that uses only one language.