native-speaker
Born into language
A native speaker is someone who learned a language from early childhood, typically as their first language.
The term implies intuitive command of grammar, idiom, and pronunciation that second-language learners rarely match completely: We need a native speaker to check the translation.
Often hyphenated when used as an adjective: native-speaker intuition.
Regional speech pattern
- intonationPitch variation in speech
- cadenceRhythmic pulse or pattern
- articulationClear vocal expression
- phoneticsStudy of speech sounds
stress · rhythm · tone · inflection · enunciation · vowel · consonant · syllable
Characteristic of natural speech
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- intuitiveKnown without reasoning
mother-tongue · sayings · proverbs · expressions · localism · natural · nuance · connotation
- mother-tongueLanguage acquired from birth
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- immersionState of being submerged
- inputData received for processing
exposure · developmental · bilingualism · attrition · maintenance
Persuasive verbal grace
- articulateExpress clearly, or well-spoken
- expressiveShowing feelings outwardly
- coherentLogically connected throughout
- comprehensibleAble to be understood
effortless · spontaneous · vocabulary · syntax · grammar · discourse · pragmatics · circumlocution
accent
Regional speech pattern
- intonationPitch variation in speech
- cadenceRhythmic pulse or pattern
- articulationClear vocal expression
phonetics · stress · rhythm · tone · inflection · enunciation · vowel · consonant · syllable · prosody
idiomatic
Characteristic of natural speech
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
intuitive · mother-tongue · sayings · proverbs · expressions · localism · natural · nuance · connotation · register
L1
- mother-tongueLanguage acquired from birth
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- immersionState of being submerged
input · exposure · developmental · bilingualism · attrition · maintenance
eloquence
Persuasive verbal grace
- articulateExpress clearly, or well-spoken
- expressiveShowing feelings outwardly
- coherentLogically connected throughout
comprehensible · effortless · spontaneous · vocabulary · syntax · grammar · discourse · pragmatics · circumlocution · hesitation
native-speakernon-native speaker
One who learned elsewhere
non-native · foreigner · outsider · newcomer
native, speaker, natives, natively, nativity, nation, national, nationally, nationality