mother tongue

[muhth-er tuhng, muhth-er tuhng]

noun

1. the language first learned by a person; native language.

2. mother language.

mother tongue

noun

1. the language first learned by a child

2. a language from which another has evolved

Word History and Origins

Origin of mother tongue¹

1350–1400; Middle English moder tonge

Example Sentences

At the time, Adamu argued that pupils grasped concepts more readily when taught in "their own mother tongue" - a view supported by numerous UN studies on early childhood education.

Read more on BBC

As the young children enthusiastically sang out phrases, Esau interjected occasionally to correct their pronunciation of the distinct sounds and deep clicks of her mother tongue, of which she is the last first-language speaker.

Read more on Barron's

It made him wonder how his generation had slowly drifted away from their mother tongue, as other languages like English, Urdu and Hindi became more widespread.

Read more on BBC

He also dropped English as the primary language for his literature and vowed to only write in his mother tongue, Kikuyu.

Read more on BBC

Anxiety about immigrants’ attachment to their mother tongues goes back to colonial days.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• first language