ancestral languages
Forebears' native speech
Ancestral languages are the languages spoken by one's forebears, particularly those no longer used as a primary language by later generations.
The term often appears in discussions of heritage and identity, where descendants seek to learn or preserve a language their grandparents or great-grandparents spoke.
She's taking classes to reconnect with her ancestral language.
Communities may work to revitalize ancestral languages that have fallen out of everyday use.
- endangered languagesSpeech nearing extinction
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- speaking in tonguesEcstatic religious vocalization
- tribal memoryGroup's inherited cultural knowledge
- dead languagesLanguages without native speakers
family tree · folklore · cognates · indigenous knowledge · indigenous languages · migration patterns · phonology · native speakers · homeland · old country · revitalization · Latin · lineage · extinct · ancient · bloodline · elders · preservation
ancestral languageslingua francas
Widely adopted shared tongues
native languages · first languages · mother tongues · second languages · living languages
ancestral languagesconstructed languages
Artificially devised communication systems
artificial languages · conlangs · Esperanto · Klingon · Elvish