modern language

American  

noun

1. one of the literary languages currently in use in Europe, as French, Spanish, or German, treated as a departmental course of study in a school, college, or university.

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modern language British  

noun

1. any of the languages spoken in present-day Europe, with the exception of English

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Etymology

Origin of modern language

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Music and modern language courses will continue to be offered at Cardiff University after it backtracked on plans to close the departments.

From BBC • May 27, 2025

The earliest evidence is in a language called Sumerian, which doesn’t have any modern language relatives.

From Scientific American • May 18, 2023

Bluesy licks, long a central part of her sound, lead fluidly into bebop lines and more modern language; her soloing seems to encapsulate the history of jazz piano while looking ahead into its future.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2023

Though set in the Jerusalem of 2,000 years ago, the play uses modern language — "Jesus is cool" — and imagery, such as paparazzi following Jesus through the streets.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2022

Others have suggested instead that a change in brain organization around that time, without a change in brain size, made modern language possible.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond