It has become such a widespread notion in Europe that bilingualism is an exceptional phenomenon (Bartha, 2009, p. 145) that it also determines the way we think about languages in Hungary. Moreover, in Hungary speakers typically judge bilingualism along the lines of standard linguistic ideology, that is, “the linguistic ideological concepts and beliefs about bilingualism are still being shaped and reinterpreted in various contexts, in tandem with the standard, normative linguistic concept of bilingualism, which excludes diversity” (Bartha, 2009, p. 149, translated by me). In my study I will elaborate on this issue based on my research among 18-24-year-old language learners, and show how linguistic ideologies about bilingualism are related to beliefs about the Hungarian language. I will also discuss the role of language learning motivation. In my quantitative research (n=507) I collected beliefs on Hungarian and language learning using a questionnaire, and after principal component analysis I looked for correlations by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficients. The results show that students’ beliefs about bilingualism are related to the extent to which they were taught their first language using a prescriptive approach, and to the extent to which they themselves subscribe to prescriptivism. In addition, students’ fear of assimilation and linguistic prejudice also correlated with their beliefs about bilingualism. Thus, misconceptions about bilingualism are still fueled by the prescriptive, purist and prejudiced linguistic attitudes associated with the standard language culture that are present in Hungary. My results show that even highly motivated language learners believe that “the only natural way to become bilingual is to learn two languages in one’s family from an early age” (one of the items of the questionnaire, based on Bartha, 2009, p. 147).In my study I highlight the role of teachers in maintaining language ideologies related to bilingualism, and argue that language learning motivation research should also pay more attention to language learning beliefs, because motivation is interlinked with and inseparable from them.