Thesaurus results for MOTHER TONGUE

mother tongue

noun

Definition of mother tongue

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of mother tongue From the start of his career, Fela aimed to reach a larger and Pan-African audience by singing almost exclusively in Nigerian Pidgin English (rather than his mother tongue, Yoruba, which doesn't translate throughout most of the continent). — Ian Brennan, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026 Playing off a six-language broadcast which means it can be viewed by 75% of Europeans in their mother tongue, Arte is still growing. — John Hopewell, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026 The group last delivered a full-length in its mother tongue, Be, in November 2020. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 20 Mar. 2026 First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mother tongue

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue

Noun

From a consideration of apoptosis—the orderly elimination of damaged or unnecessary cells—Solé moves on to failing machines, eroded memories, vanished languages, brittle digital archives, and more.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
High-needs students — defined as those receiving free or reduced price meals, English language learners and students with disabilities — also performed about 10 points below the overall student body in each category.

— Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of language

Noun

Cantonese uses different grammar than Mandarin, as well as different vocabulary, particularly in the city of Hong Kong, where speakers often switch between English and Cantonese words, sometimes in the same sentence.

— Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Ruby Hobbs-Leffler felt things with an intensity that even a smart little girl with a big vocabulary couldn’t put into words.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of vocabulary

Noun

And researchers have also identified disparities in diagnoses, with a recent study indicating men were more likely than women to be diagnosed at a later stage for 20 types of cancer — including stomach, lung, tongue and some throat cancers.

— Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2026
According to the listing, the interior has wood floors, tongue-and-groove knotty pine accents, granite countertops, Lutron lighting controls and two gas fireplaces.

— Brendel Clark, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of tongue

Noun

Owner and chef Stefania Marchesini, who fished professionally herself for 11 years, pays a premium to local fishermen, especially for soft-shell crabs known in the local dialect as moeche.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
What used to be two entirely separate compliance projects is starting to look like two dialects of the same emerging language.

— Abdelahhad Barbour, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026