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The person I was answering to literally claims people are bilingual (Swedish + Finnish).
by laurent_du 1y ago
The person I was answering to literally claims people are bilingual (Swedish + Finnish).
- tuukkah 1y agoBeing bilingual is a fuzzy concept: to many, it includes people who speak a language less well, but perhaps enough to get by. For example, in a bilingual environment, it can be enough to understand two languages and to speak one.
- laurent_du 1y agoI have never heard someone say "I am bilingual" when what they meant is "I studied another language in school and can somehow understand a few sentences". To me, and I believe, to most people, being bilingual means speaking two languages fluently.
- tuukkah 1y agoPersonally, I'd only call native-level speakers bilingual, but this has caused misunderstandings.