2013 Articles

Multilingual Competence

Kang, Eun Young

Multilingualism is a widespread phenomenon in modern societies. A considerable number of people speak more than two languages in their everyday life due to historical, social, or economic reasons (Cenoz & Genesee, 1998). They may live in a multilingual community as a result of colonialism and immigration, or they might be in constant contact with different monolingual communities because of globalization (Kemp, 2009). The continuing growth of individuals and communities that use three or more languages has led many researchers to investigate multilingualism and multilingual acquisition. Of the many key issues within the field of multilingualism, this short piece will focus on multilingual competence from the perspective of proficiency and acquisition goals. Identifying the extent to which an individual should be proficient in each of his or her languages is essential for defining a multilingual and for understanding which goals are attainable in multilingual education.