co-linguist

English

Alternative forms

• colinguist

Etymology

From co- +‎ linguist.

Noun

co-linguist (plural co-linguists)

1. One who shares a language with someone.
   • 1982, D. Devahuti, Historical and political perspectives, page 237:

     Muslim Bengal asserted its Muslim personality in 1947 against its co-linguist Hindu neighbours. Twenty-four years later, it asserted its regional personality also, through a revolt against its co-religionist West Pakistanis.

   • 1999, Malcolm Milne, No Telephone to Heaven, page 157:

     The former is capable — when speaking to a co-linguist — of conveying almost a photographic image of an area of bush so extensive is his knowledge of the names of vegetation and descriptions of terrain.

   • 2003, Charles C. Euchner, editor, Governing Greater Boston: Meeting the Needs of the Region's People, page 85:

     The city of Boston also employs some co-ethnic and co-linguist liaison officers in the city's Office of Neighborhood Services, including people who can speak Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish and Cape Verdean Creole.

   • 2007, Barry M. Rubin, Political Islam: Case studies: Africa, Iran, Europe, Asia, page 123:

     However, in the context of both Afghanistan and the civil war, the fact that most identifiable Afghan groups have co-linguists, co-ethnics, or co-religionists across national boundaries became a catalyst for the nation's collapse

   • 2013, Claudine Brohy, Joseph T-Guri, Theodorus du Plessis, Law, Language and the Multilingual State:

     If citizens cannot understand one another, or if they seek to deliberate with co-linguists only, then democratic politics is likely to be compromised.