father tongue
The term "father tongue" contrasts with "mother tongue" and is less commonly used but has implications in language acquisition and sociolinguistics.
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Definition
B2Linguistics
(general)The primary language spoken by one's father, which may influence one's own language use.
Example
- In their household, the father tongue is Spanish while the mother tongue is French.
B2Multilingual Families
(informal)The language spoken by the father, especially when it differs from the mother's language.
Example
- He learned German as his father tongue, although his mother spoke Italian.
C1Sociolinguistics
(academic, technical)A hypothesis suggesting that linguistic affiliation may correlate more closely with paternal lineage.
Example
- The Father Tongue hypothesis explores the idea that people may adopt their father's language more frequently than their mother's.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "father tongue":