Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

semilingual

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: semilin-gual
IPA

14

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having a low profile in all of several languages that one can speak.

noun

A person who knows two or more languages but exhibits low profile in all of them, that involves having poor vocabulary and wrong grammar.

Example Sentences

"The harmful effects of semilingualism on the identity and psyche, together with an incomplete mastery of Swedish, made the semilingual person socially handicapped in comparison with the monolingual Swede."

Etymology

From semi- + lingual.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: semi

Inflected Forms

semilinguals (plural)

Derived Forms

semilingualism

Rhymes With

translingual exolingual quinquelingual brevilingual colingual plurilingual posterolingual audiolingual metrolingual pentalingual tetralingual ventrolingual

Questions

What does semilingual mean?: Having a low profile in all of several languages that one can speak.
Where does semilingual come from?: From semi- + lingual.

How to pronounce semilingual

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “semilingual”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “semilingual”.
Repeat and practice — Say “semilingual” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.