Eduard, 



Some people might use the term semilingual to refer to 

monolinguals.  It is definitely more strongly associated 

with the bilingual environment.  The term used by most 

people who deal with the monolingual situation is “delayed 

language.”  Both terms usually refer to children in a school 

setting, where the L1 skills have not reached the level 

necessary for the development of literacy.   In general 

everyday discourse is also limited in these groups.



I do want to make clear that I would not refer to the 

college students/teachers (my data) –who were all literate-- 

as semilingual (or “delayed L1” or whatever).   I am sure 

that when those adults were children their L1 skills were 

sufficient to begin literacy development on schedule and 

that they were never referred for language 

therapy/assistance.  However, as they went through the K12 

system they were given very little instruction in formal 

English (grammar, vocabulary) and skill development 

(writing).  Because of the lack of instruction, they had 

problems composing complex sentences and using more formal 

vocabulary. Their grammatical problems –or even their 

lexical problems—would not be evident in everyday discourse, 

because the vocabulary and structure of everyday discourse 

are more limited.  



BTW, the everyday level is the level acquired through do-it-

yourself foreign language lessons (i.e., up to intermediate-

level proficiency) for anyone who has tried such a 

program.   To acquire the formal level of the L2 a person 

would have to really hit the books, just the way you did.  

The point is that the formal level of discourse has to be 

very consciously learned and practiced.  My sense is that 

many educators still continue to conflate everyday discourse 

and formal discourse, and also incoherence with language 

variation.  

yvonne





---- Original message ----

>Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 14:07:20 -0500

>From: "Eduard C. Hanganu" <[log in to unmask]>  

>Subject: Re: The role of English teachers  

>To: [log in to unmask]

>

>Yvonne, 

>

>You state that "Semilingualism refers to non-native 

speakers (e.g., 

>ESL students, and usually identified in elementary school 

settings), 

>who have not acquired a sufficient foundation in either the 

first or 

>second language." 

>

>Alan Davies, though, in his book "The Native Speaker: Myth 

and 

>Reality," applies the term *semilingualism* both to native 

and non-

>native speakers. He states:

>

>"What semilingualism argues (Skutnabb-Kangas, 1981) is that 

in 

>certain situations, "either of a multilingual character or 

an 

>impoverished one, which creates a climate of disadvantage, 

children 

>may be brought up with no fully developed linguistic system 

and what 

>they have will be either (a) a set (two or more) of partial 

systems 

>or (b) one inadequate system." (p. 30)

>

>Eduard 

>

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Yvonne Stapp PhD

Assistant Professor of ESL

James Madison University

Dept of Exceptional Education MSC 6908

Memorial Hall 3130B

Harrisonburg, VA 22807

phone 540-568-4525