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mother language

American  

noun

  1. a language from which another language is descended; parent language.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Chan said he had been running the group to promote the mother language of many Hong Kongers for 10 years.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 28, 2023

Letter-writing helps me process my thoughts better than phone calls since I cannot speak their mother language.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2020

Hymns were initially sung in German because a lot of parishioners didn’t speak English “and because it was their mother language and they felt more comfortable,” said Siewert.

From Washington Times • Dec. 15, 2018

I am one of the few German journalists who speak Arabic as a mother language and I was the only one at the magazine who could read the whole issue.

From The Guardian • Sep. 23, 2018

By English I mean all those whose mother language is English.

From Life of John Keats His Life and Poetry, his Friends, Critics and After-fame by Colvin, Sidney

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