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'Monoglottism' (Greek ''monos'', "alone, solitary", + ''glotta'', "tongue, language") or, more commonly, 'monolingualism' or 'unilingualism' is the condition of being able to speak only a single language. In a different context "unilingualism" may refer to language policy which
enforces an official or national language over others.
Persons living in the United States, Australia, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom (mainly England as the Celtic nations have their own languages) are commonly stereotyped as monoglots. While possessing multiple official languages, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, and non-French speaking parts of Canada are also largely considered monolingual societies.
'Monolingual' or 'unilingual' is also said of a text, dictionary, or conversation written or conducted in only one language, and of an entity in or at which a single language is either used or officially recognized (in particular when being compared with bilingual or multilingual entities or in the presence of individuals speaking different languages). Note that mono''glottism'' can only refer to not having the ''ability'' to speak several languages.
A recent Canadian study has shown that monoglots are at a disadvantage with the onset of senility compared to bilingual people. [1]

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See also

★ Multilingualism

★ Languages in the United Kingdom

★ Languages in the United States