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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

tonguage en · NOUN

Etymology

From tongue + -age modelled after language; or a blend of tongue + language.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) Any activity involving the tongue; tonguing.
  2. (nonstandard, rare, uncountable) Language; spoken language, as opposed to other forms of language (body language, written language, etc.).
    • We have a language of social relations, even though we're not thoroughly aware of it— but it isn't all "language" in the sense of "tonguage." 1973, Howard Paul Becker, Man in reciprocity:
    • In all the districts of Maharashtra except Aurangabad and Bhandara, the number of persons who returned Hindi as a subsidiary language outnumber those with Hindi as mother tonguage. 1961, India. Office of the Registrar General, Census of India, 1961: Maharashtra:
    • I like the French now but can't get on with the Italian tonguage (good word). 1956, Edward Elgar, Percy Marshall Young, Letters of Edward Elgar and other writings:
    • Whether the ideas underlying them are expressed and conveyed by eyeage or by tonguage is a detail that matters nothing. 1890, Samuel Butler, Essays on Life, Art, and Science: