nonnative speaker

[ non-ney-tiv spee-ker ]

noun

1. a person whose knowledge and use of a language is characterized by the fact that it is not their first or native language: For nonnative speakers, this sound is especially hard to pronounce. Compare native speaker ( def ).

   She was the first nonnative speaker of Japanese to win this award.

   For nonnative speakers, this sound is especially hard to pronounce.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonnative speaker¹

First recorded in 1915–20; native speaker ( def )