as in language
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication
although the anthropologist could speak the local language fairly well, she was always glad to find someone who shared her mother tongue
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Recent Examples of mother tongue
In this respect, Franklin and Washington, whose language is their hereditary mother tongue, unsophisticated by modern grammar, present as pure models of genuine English, as Addison or Swift.
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Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 19 Apr. 2024
Gutter language in many ways erodes our lovely mother tongue and demeans those individuals who use it.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2024
Similarly bilharzia in my mother tongue – Shona from Zimbabwe – is called the disease of cognitive function.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 9 May 2024
What sets the tightly knit community, whose mother tongue is Arabic, apart from other minority communities within Israel’s borders is their fierce national pride.
—Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mother tongue 
Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 19 Apr. 2024
Gutter language in many ways erodes our lovely mother tongue and demeans those individuals who use it.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2024
Similarly bilharzia in my mother tongue – Shona from Zimbabwe – is called the disease of cognitive function.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 9 May 2024
What sets the tightly knit community, whose mother tongue is Arabic, apart from other minority communities within Israel’s borders is their fierce national pride.
—Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mother tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue
Noun
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Yet research suggests that children up to age 5 can learn and process up to five languages.Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
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Luckily, just in time, Nick whispers the one word in the (British) English language that instantly turns back the clock.Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Regrettably, the catchy moniker has slinked into our vocabulary, and we are seemingly stuck with it.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
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The reports began introducing the rhetoric of climate change straight into the heart of the far right’s vocabulary.Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Extra spicy In the United States, many people seek out spicy ramen, but that’s not necessarily the case in Japan, according to Osaka, where ramen wasn’t meant to bind to your tongue and set off pain receptors in your brain.Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2024
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In the clip, which multiple outlets posted on TikTok, two dogs wander around an enclosure and pant with their tongues out.Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The delightful elocution of their dry-as-martini witticisms (dialect coach Nancy Carlin) adds to the joys of this period piece.Karen D'Souza, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
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Scholars say their separation from the mainland caused residents to retain much of their African heritage, including their unique dialect and skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and basket-weaving.Russ Bynum and Emily Wagster Pettus, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
Noun
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This brand of idiom deconstruction and crisp sound became a hallmark of Jones’ work from this point forward.A.D. Amorosi, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024
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One of its vegan standout idioms is the manakish flatbread with roasted tomato, Biber Salcasi pepper paste, Aleppo and mint.Kaila Yu, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near mother tongue
Cite this Entry
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20tongue. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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