World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesMother tongue
/ˈmʌð.ɚ tʌŋ/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
The first language that a person learns to speak in childhood, typically spoken in their home or community.
"Her mother tongue is Spanish, but she is also fluent in English." - 2
The native language of a particular country or people rather than a language acquired later in life.
"The government promotes the preservation of the regional mother tongue among younger generations."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from Middle English 'moder tonge', combining 'mother' from Old English 'mōdor' (of Proto-Germanic origin) and 'tongue' from Old English 'tunge', originally referring to the physical organ before shifting to mean language. The concept reflects the intimate connection between a mother and the primary language acquired by a child from birth.
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10 Global Lexicons: How "Mother tongue" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
langue maternelle
Transliteration: /lɑ̃ɡ matɛʁ.nɛl/
"Le français est sa langue maternelle."
Muttersprache
Transliteration: /ˈmʊtɐˌʃpʁaːxə/
"Deutsch ist seine Muttersprache."
madrelingua
Transliteration: /ˌma.dreˈlin.ɡwa/
"L'italiano è la sua madrelingua."
lengua materna
Transliteration: /ˈleŋ.ɡwa maˈteɾ.na/
"Su lengua materna es el español."
língua materna
Transliteration: /ˈlĩ.ɡwɐ maˈtɛʁ.nɐ/
"O português é a sua língua materna."
मातृभाषा
Transliteration: matribhasha
"हिन्दी उसकी मातृभाषा है।"
母语
Transliteration: mǔyǔ
"汉语是我的母语。"
모국어
Transliteration: mogugeo
"한국어는 나의 모국어이다."
母語
Transliteration: bogo
"日本語は私の母語です。"
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