Dictionary

metalanguage en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (UK) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *me Proto-Indo-European *meth₂? Ancient Greek μετᾰ́ (metắ) Ancient Greek μετᾰ- (metă-)lbor. English meta- Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s Proto-Italic *dn̥ɣwā Latin dingua Latin lingua Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Vulgar Latin *linguāticum Old French languagebor. Middle English langage English language English metalanguage From meta- + language.

Meanings

1. (countable, qualifier:critical theory, uncountable) Any language or vocabulary of terms used to describe or analyze a language or linguistic process.
   • In order to talk or theorise about phenomena, one inevitably uses a language that is in effect a metalanguage, a special instance of language that allows the theorist to stand back and describe what is happening. 2005, Michael Cronin, edited by Martha Tennent and Benjamins Translation Library, Training for the New Millennium: Pedagogies for translation and interpreting, page 255:
2. (countable, uncountable) Any similar language used to define a programming language

Forms

Coordinates

metaphilosophy · metathought · metaemotion

Deriveds

metametalanguage

Relateds

metalingual · metalinguistic · metalinguist · epilanguage · object language · metadiscourse

Translations (39)

kk метатіл (linguistical term) · pt metalinguagem (computing term) · ja メタ言語 (computing term) · ja メタ言語 (linguistical term) · el μεταγλώσσα (computing term) · de Metasprache (computing term) · pl metajęzyk (linguistical term) · pl metajęzyk (computing term) · is hjálparmál (linguistical term) · bg метаези́к (linguistical term) · cmn 元語言 /元语言 (linguistical term) · fi metakieli (computing term) · pt metalinguagem (linguistical term) · is lýsimál (computing term) · ga meititheanga (computing term) · ca metallenguatge (linguistical term) · tr üstdil (linguistical term) · fi metakieli (linguistical term) · tr üstdil (computing term) · uk метамо́ва (linguistical term) · cmn 形而上語言 /形而上语言 (computing term) · cmn 形而上語言 /形而上语言 (linguistical term) · th อภิภาษา (linguistical term) · ga meititheanga (linguistical term) · fr métalangage (computing term) · cs metajazyk (linguistical term) · cmn 元語言 /元语言 (computing term) · it metalingua (computing term) · sv metaspråk (linguistical term) · it metalinguaggio (linguistical term) · el μεταγλώσσα (linguistical term) · hu metanyelv (linguistical term) · ru метаязы́к (linguistical term) · de Metasprache (linguistical term) · th อภิภาษา (computing term) · fr métalangage (linguistical term) · sk metajazyk (linguistical term) · uk метамо́ва (computing term) · ru метаязы́к (computing term)