natural language

[nach-er-uhl lang-gwigzh, nach-ruhl]

noun

1. a language used as a native tongue by a group of speakers, as Arabic, English, Mandarin, etc..

   Natural languages reflect cultural values like honesty or diplomacy in the manner and tone by which they communicate information.

2. a language that has developed and evolved naturally, through use by human beings, as opposed to an invented or constructed language, as a computer programming language (often used attributively): The search engine will return accurate results for keyword searches and natural language queries.

   Natural language is characterized by ambiguity that artificial intelligence struggles to interpret.

   The search engine will return accurate results for keyword searches and natural language queries.

natural language

noun

1. a language that has evolved naturally as a means of communication among people Compare artificial language formal language

2. languages of this kind considered collectively

Word History and Origins

Origin of natural language¹

First recorded in 1770–75 natural language for def. 1; 1960–65 natural language for def. 2