metalanguage
nounEtymology From meta- + language.
1
Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences, Translation studies Any language or vocabulary of terms used to describe or analyze a language or linguistic process.
Critical theory
- 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
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Any similar language used to define a programming language
- Derived terms
- metametalanguage
- Related terms
- metalingual, metalinguist, metalinguistic, epilanguage, metadiscourse, object language