Dwujęzyczność i wielojęzyczność – problemy terminologiczne w badaniach nad wieloma językami
Bilingualism and multilingualism – terminological problems in research into multiple languages

Summary/Abstract: When bilingualism and multilingualism are the main focus of research, it is usually impossible to refrain from defining these concepts although they may initially seem self-explanatory. The reason for this are terminological inaccuracies and lack of consistency in applying proper terminology associated with these concepts, which is prevalent in publications on the topic of the learning and use of multiple languages. Therefore, it is important to identify who bilinguals are, what multilingualism is and what monolingualism refers to in light of constant growth of the number of multilingual language users. The present article is an attempt to provide responses to such questions as it defines bilingualism and multilingualism and, at the same time, contrasts the terms with each other and with the concept of monolingualism. The article also discusses the issue of including language learners under the notion of bilingualism or multilingualism and demonstrates the latest achievements as well as future research directions with respect to these two areas. Thus, the main aim of the paper is to present the key issues in multilingualism while systematizing and summarizing the background knowledge on the topic.

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