First Language

First language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about a person's first language. ... Incomplete first language skills often make learning other languages difficult. ...
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First Language
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NOVA | Transcripts | In Search of the First Language | PBS
There are surprising similarities among the languages of the world. Could it be that at one time long ago, we all spoke the same language?
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The first language a human being learns to speak is his/her native language. He/She is a native speaker of this language according to Leonard Bloomfield Language By Leonard Bloomfield ISBN 8120811968

A first language or native language is a basis for sociolinguistic identity. The Native Speaker: Myth and Reality By Alan Davies ISBN 1853596221

In linguistics first language can be referred to as arterial language, mother tongue, or L1.

Terms not standardised The usage of these terms is far from standardised, however.

Sometimes the term first language is used for the language that the speaker speaks best (his second language then being the language he speaks less well than his first language, etc).

Sometimes the terms first language, second language and third language are used to indicate various levels of skill in a language, so that it can be said that a person knows more than one language at first or second language level.

Sometimes the term native language is used to indicate a language that a person is as proficient in as a native inhabitant of that language's base country, or as proficient as the average person who speaks no other language but that language.

Sometimes the term mother tongue or mother language is used for the language that a person learnt at home (usually from his parents). Children growing up in bilingual homes can according to this definition have more than one mother tongue.

In the context of population censuses conducted on the Canadian population, Statistics Canada defines mother tongue as "the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual at the time of the census".

Terms can be misleading The terms first, native, and mother can also be misleading, regardless of their definitions. It is quite possible that the first language learned is no longer a speaker's dominant language. Young immigrant children, whose families have moved to a new linguistic environment may Language attrition, in part or in totality, the language they first acquired.

Good skills in one's native languages are essential for further learning, as a native language is thought to be a base of thinking, however, this is highly controversial. Incomplete first language skills often make learning other languages difficult. Native language has therefore a central role in education.

Mother tongue The term "mother tongue" should not be interpreted to mean that it is the language of one's mother. In some paternal societies, the wife moves in with the husband and thus may have a different first language, or dialect, than the local language of the husband. Yet their children usually only speak their local language. Only a few will learn to speak their mothers' languages like natives. Mother in this context probably originated from the definition of mother as source, or origin; as in mother-country or land.

In some countries such as Kenya and India, "mother tongue" is used to indicate the language of one's ethnic group (ethnic tongue), in both common and journalistic parlance (e.g. 'I have no apologies for not learning my mother tongue' ), rather than one's first language. A similar usage of the term was employed in Republic of Ireland in the early-to-mid twentieth century, with Irish Language being referred to as the "mother tongue" of all Irish people, even of those whose first language was English language.

On multilinguality One can have two or more native languages, thus being a native bilingual or indeed multilingual. The order in which these languages are learned is not necessarily the order of proficiency. For instance, a French language-speaking couple might have a daughter who learned French first, then English language; but if she grew up in the United States, she is likely to become more proficient in English.

The Brazilian linguist Cleo Altenhofen considers the denomination "mother tongue" in its general usage to be imprecise and subject to various interpretations that are biased in linguistic prejudices, especially with respect to bilingual children from ethnic minority groups. He cites his own experience as a bilingual speaker of Portuguese language and Riograndenser Hunsrückisch, a German-rooted language brought to Southern Brazil by the first German immigrants. In his case, like that of many children whose home language differs from the language of the environment (the 'official' language), it is debatable which language is his 'mother tongue'. Many scholars gave definitions of 'mother tongue' through the years based on common usage, the emotional relation from the speaker towards the language, and even its dominance in relation to the environment. However, all of these criteria lack precision.

Definitions

Definition based on origin: the language(s) one learned first (the language(s) in which one has established the first long-lasting verbal contacts).
Definition based on internal identification: the language(s) one identifies with/as a native speaker of;
Definition based on external identification: the language(s) one is identified with/as a native speaker of, by others.
Definition based on competence: the language(s) one knows best.
Definition based on function: the language(s) one uses most.

Reference: Terralingua Definition: Mother Tongue

References See also

Child of deaf adults
Heritage speaker
Language acquisition
Language attrition
Literacy
Multilingualism
Second language
International Mother Language Day
Third Culture Kids

ISD Data Dictionary - First Language
Clinical Datasets > Generic Data Standards > Ethnic, Cultural and Diversity > First Language Formal Name:First Language Main Source of Standard

First language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A first language (also mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or L1) is the language a human being learns from birth. [1] A person's first language is a basis for ...

Welsh First Language : WJEC
WJEC offers Welsh First Language at Entry Level, Welsh Language and Welsh Literature at GCSE and Welsh First Language at GCE. The suite of qualifications has proved popular with ...

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The WJEC GCE Welsh First Language specification is currently being revised for courses starting September 2008. The new GCE specification will have the same six unit structure ...

First Language - Language School
First Language is a language school with a difference: Whether you are new to the UK or have lived here for a while, we can help you learn the words to use for everyday life.

Comparing First and Second Language Acquisition by Vivian Cook
Feature. L1 acquisition . L2 (foreign language) acquisition. Overall success children normally achieve perfect L1 mastery. adult L2 learners are unlikely to achieve ...

First Language
Select an Issue from the Archive February 1980—August 2008: Search for Articles February 1980—August 2008: Current Issue August 2008: Article Statistics

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | First language gene discovered
Scientists think they have found the first of many language genes after studying the DNA of great apes.

ED31020 - FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Module Identifier: ED31020 : Module Title: FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION : Academic Year: 2008/2009 : Co-ordinator: Mr Robert Morris Jones : Semester: Intended for use in future years

talent : First Language
First Language This project examines the impact of a first language induction programme and ongoing support in first language on attendance, participation and achievement. More ...