First language

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The monument for the Mother (Azerbaijani) language in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan

A first language (also mother language, mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or L1) often means the language that a person learns first.[1] It helps one understand words and concepts in the style of that language.[2]

Sometimes, but not often, first language means the language that a person speaks best (the second language is then spoken less well than the first language, etc.). In that sense, a person could have more than one first or second language.

The first languages of the national majority usually are to be recognized as national languages of the nation.

References[change | change source]

  1. Bloomfield, Leonard (1994). Language. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-1196-6.
  2. Davies, Alan (2003). The Native Speaker: Myth and Reality. Multilingual Matters. ISBN 978-1-85359-622-3.

Related pages[change | change source]