foreign language
Non-native speech system
A foreign language is one not native to a particular place or person—a language from elsewhere.
The term usually refers to languages studied formally rather than acquired naturally: She's taking a foreign language requirement.
What counts as foreign depends on perspective; Spanish is foreign in Sweden but not in Mexico.
The phrase often implies unfamiliarity: It was all foreign language to me.
Smooth linguistic command
- proficiencySkilled performance level
- immersionState of being submerged
- vocabularyOne's word collection
- grammarLanguage's structural rules
pronunciation · conjugation · comprehension · phonetics · syntax · exercises · drills · flashcards
Exchange of spoken ideas
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- accentRegional speech pattern
- dialectRegional language variety
- translationConverting between languages
interpreter · polyglot · native speaker · phrase book · gesture · miscommunication · barrier · fluent
Study of linguistic meaning
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- lexiconVocabulary of a language
etymology · grammar · idioms · expressions · slang · colloquialism · tone · register
fluency
Smooth linguistic command
- proficiencySkilled performance level
- immersionState of being submerged
- vocabularyOne's word collection
grammar · pronunciation · conjugation · comprehension · phonetics · syntax · exercises · drills · flashcards · textbook
conversation
Exchange of spoken ideas
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- accentRegional speech pattern
- dialectRegional language variety
translation · interpreter · polyglot · native speaker · phrase book · gesture · miscommunication · barrier · fluent · broken
semantics
Study of linguistic meaning
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
- phonologyScience of language sounds
lexicon · etymology · grammar · idioms · expressions · slang · colloquialism · tone · register · orthography
- electivesart class, band, choir, drama, orchestra
- language barriersmiscommunication, misunderstanding, untranslatable, confusion, translator
- language educationbiliteracy, immersion, literacy skills, reading, immersion school
- elementary schoolclassroom, student, first grade teacher, reading skills, teacher
- languageword, words, grammar, spelling, alphabet
- school subjectsmath, English, science, history, reading
foreign languagemother tongue
Language acquired from birth
native language · first language · L1 · home language · native tongue
foreign languagenative language
First-acquired mode of speech
indigenous language · national language · official language · regional language
language, foreign, foreigner, linguist, bilingual, linguistic, linguistics, multilingual, foreigners