Thesaurus results for MOTHER TONGUE

mother tongue

noun

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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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of mother tongue 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 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 Work with people of different ages, backgrounds, perspectives, and mother tongues. —

Rachel Konrad, Time, 9 Dec. 2025 Each actress nails the comedic timing – and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues. —

Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mother tongue

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue

Noun

The titular bear, who communicates with the girl through language—seemingly telepathic—plays a crucial role in her survival.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
The term English learners is defined by the Illinois State Board of Education as students who do not meet certain English proficiency standards and whose home language background is a language other than English.

— Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026