monolingualism

[mahn-uh-ling-gwuhl-iz-uhm]

noun

1. the state or condition of being monolingual.

2. a policy or approach that promotes the use of only one language.

Example Sentences

Dear Miss Manners: I live in a city in which a wide variety of languages are spoken, though I, to my shame and regret, seem genetically predisposed to monolingualism.

From Washington Post

“Americans, with what Salomone calls their ‘smug monolingualism,’ are often blissfully unaware of the advantage they have because of the worldwide dominance of their native tongue,” Amy Chua writes in her review.

From New York Times

I first came to France when I was 16-year-old exchange student, and I have weathered decades of Gallic scorn about our politics, our monolingualism, our fast food and the existence of Disneyland Paris.

From Salon

Monolingualism, anti-Black prejudices brought from their countries of origin and the street violence of the 1980s and 1990s led this first generation to shut in and shut out, largely keeping their distance from African American neighbors.

From Los Angeles Times

I mean, the famous linguistic research by Joshua Fishman showed a three-generation conversion to English monolingualism.

From Slate