Plurilingualism differs from multilingualism in that it emphasizes an individual's experience with multiple languages and cultures not as separate compartments but as an interrelated communicative competence where all language knowledge and experience contributes. The plurilingual approach focuses on how an individual's language abilities expand from their native language to their community's language to other languages and cultures, with all these languages interacting rather than being strictly separated mentally.

1. What is plurilingualism?

2. Plurilingualism differs from multilingualism , which is the knowledge of a number of languages, or the co-existence of different languages in a given society Multilingualism Common European Framework of Reference

3. The plurilingual approach emphasises the fact that as an individual person’s experience of language in its cultural contexts expands, from the language of the home to that of society at large and then to the languages of other peoples […], he or she does not keep these languages and cultures in strictly separated mental compartments… Plurilingual approach Common European Framework of Reference

4. … but rather builds up a communicative competence to which all knowledge and experience of language contributes and in which languages interrelate and interact Common European Framework of Reference