mother tongue

American  

[muhth-er tuhng, muhth-er tuhng] / ˈmʌð ər ˈtʌŋ, ˈmʌð ər ˌtʌŋ /

noun

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

2. mother language.

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mother tongue British  

noun

1. the language first learned by a child

2. a language from which another has evolved

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Etymology

Origin of mother tongue

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.

From 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.

From 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.

From BBC

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

From BBC

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

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• first language