first language
nounEtymology From first + language.
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.
- Related terms
- mother tongue, second language