first language

The term "first language" is often synonymous with "native language," "mother tongue," and "L1" in linguistic contexts.

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Definition

B2Linguistics

(academic)The language learned from birth or early childhood, typically from family or caregivers.

Example

Her first language is Spanish, which she learned from her parents.
Many bilingual children have more than one first language.

B2Language Proficiency

(general)The language a person is most fluent in and uses most frequently.

Example

Even though he moved to the US, his first language remains Japanese.
She dreams and thinks in her first language, French.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "first language":

native language mother tongue target language heritage language standard language working language language learning foreign language private language source language community language object language