Dictionary

first language en · NOUN

Etymology

From first + language.

Meanings

1. The first language one is taught to speak; one's native language.
   • She was born and raised in France, although her first language is Portuguese because her parents are from Brazil.
   • Vocabulary is a vital component of educational success in both first and second language contexts. 2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Advancing disciplinary literacy through English for academic purposes: Discipline-specific wordlists, collocations and word families for eight secondary subjects”, in Journal of English for Academic Purposes, volume 35, →DOI, page 105:
2. The language one feels most comfortable and capable with.
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see first, language.

Forms

Relateds

second language · mother tongue

Synonyms

native language · mother tongue · mother language

Translations (7)

nb førstespråk (first language — see also mother tongue) · nn førstespråk (first language — see also mother tongue) · sw lugha ya kwanza (first language — see also mother tongue) · hi मातृभाषा (first language — see also mother tongue) · de Erstsprache (first language — see also mother tongue) · da modersmål (first language — see also mother tongue) · cmn 第一語言 /第一语言 (first language — see also mother tongue)