first languages
Languages from birth
A person's first language is the one they learned earliest, typically from parents or caregivers in childhood.
Also called a native language or mother tongue.
The term appears most often in contexts where people speak multiple languages: English is my first language, but I'm fluent in Spanish too.
Someone may have more than one first language if raised bilingual from birth.
- homeOne's personal residence
- family rootsAncestral origins and heritage
- old countryImmigrant's ancestral homeland
- grammarLanguage's structural rules
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
identity · native speaker · expression · culture · voice · word · oral traditions · passing down · multilingualism · mother · communication · name · Māori · L1 · comprehension · childhood · lullaby · school