nonnative
Not from here
Nonnative describes something or someone not originating from a particular place.
A nonnative species is one introduced to an ecosystem from elsewhere, often with ecological consequences: Nonnative carp have devastated local fish populations.
A nonnative speaker learned a language after early childhood rather than acquiring it as a first language.
The term is neutral and descriptive, though in some contexts invasive or foreign may carry stronger connotations.
One who colonizes territory
- colonizerOne who occupies foreign land
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- newcomerRecent arrival somewhere
- importedObtained from overseas
foreign · transplant · introduced · exogenous
Encroaching without welcome
- introducedMade formally acquainted
- transplantedMoved from original location
- naturalizedGiven citizenship status
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
feral · alien · colonizing · established · acclimatized · pest · weed · ecosystem
Native to elsewhere
- expatriateOne living abroad permanently
- migrantOne who relocates
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
- diasporaScattered population sharing origins
naturalization · citizenship · visa · green card · settler · transplant · assimilation · acculturation
Smooth linguistic command
- accentRegional speech pattern
- pronunciationManner of speaking words
- ESLLanguage instruction abbreviation
- bilingualSpeaking two languages
multilingual · learner · proficiency · acquisition · immersion · phoneme · grammar · syntax
settler
One who colonizes territory
- colonizerOne who occupies foreign land
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- newcomerRecent arrival somewhere
imported · foreign · transplant · introduced · exogenous
invasive
Encroaching without welcome
- introducedMade formally acquainted
- transplantedMoved from original location
- naturalizedGiven citizenship status
exotic · feral · alien · colonizing · established · acclimatized · pest · weed · ecosystem · habitat
foreign-born
Native to elsewhere
- expatriateOne living abroad permanently
- migrantOne who relocates
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
diaspora · naturalization · citizenship · visa · green card · settler · transplant · assimilation · acculturation · residency
fluency
Smooth linguistic command
- accentRegional speech pattern
- pronunciationManner of speaking words
- ESLLanguage instruction abbreviation
bilingual · multilingual · learner · proficiency · acquisition · immersion · phoneme · grammar · syntax · interference
- "Non-" wordsnonprofit, nonfiction, nonstop, nonsense, nonfat
- abroadoverseas, foreign, abroad, international, expat
nonnativenative
Originating from a place
indigenous · aboriginal · native-born · autochthonous · endemic
nonnativenative
Originating from a place
mother-tongue · L1 · native-speaking · native speaker · fluent