second language

noun

1. a language learned by a person after their native language, especially as a resident of an area where their new language is in general use.

2. a language widely used, especially in educational and governmental functions in a region where all or most of its speakers are nonnative, as English in India or Nigeria.

second language

noun

1. a language other than the mother tongue that a person or community uses for public communication, esp in trade, higher education, and administration

2. a non-native language officially recognized and adopted in a multilingual country as a means of public communication

Word History and Origins

Origin of second language¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

English is used as the language of instruction for most subjects nationwide at secondary schools, with Arabic the only other compulsory second language taught at the moment.

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Detractors like Lewandowski and Johnson want to make English being Bad Bunny’s second language an indictment of his patriotism, as if growing up speaking English is a criterion for citizenship.

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He says English proficiency as essential for acclimation, and recommends that federal and state governments, as well as trucker associations, offer subsidized programs to help immigrants learn English as a second language.

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However, “Prema” marks his first attempt at writing songs of his own in English, his second language, a challenge he has taken head-on.

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German is the most widely spoken but English is a common second language for many Swiss people.

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