<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> It has been suggested that Polyglotism be merged into this article . (Discuss) Proposed since February 2018 . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> It has been suggested that Polyglotism be merged into this article . (Discuss) Proposed since February 2018 . </Td> </Tr> <P> Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers . It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population . More than half of all Europeans claim to speak at least one language other than their mother tongue; nevertheless, many of these are monoscriptual . Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of globalization and cultural openness . Owing to the ease of access to information facilitated by the Internet, individuals' exposure to multiple languages is becoming increasingly frequent, thereby promoting a need to acquire additional languages . People who speak several languages are also called polyglots . </P> <P> Multilingual speakers have acquired and maintained at least one language during childhood, the so - called first language (L1). The first language (sometimes also referred to as the mother tongue) is acquired without formal education, by mechanisms heavily disputed . Children acquiring two languages in this way are called simultaneous bilinguals . Even in the case of simultaneous bilinguals, one language usually dominates the other . People who know more than one language have been reported to be more adept at language learning compared to monolinguals . Additionally, bilinguals often have important economic advantages over monolingual individuals as bilingual people are able to carry out duties that monolinguals cannot, such as interacting with customers who only speak a minority language . </P>

A person who speaks several languages is called