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
Advertisement Erdogan lifted the ban on Kurdish language, allowed the Kurds to teach in their mother tongue, and set up radio and television networks to broadcast in Kurdish.
—
Ragip Soylu, Time, 18 July 2025
Since 1994, Ethiopia’s policy has been that students should receive instruction in their mother tongue (or the dominant mother tongue of their area) in grades one through eight and shift to English instruction in ninth grade.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 20 June 2025
The presenters spoke their mother tongue (Farsi and Hindi), which was detected and translated in real-time to English.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2025
Growing up in upstate New York, Lin rejected her Chinese heritage and resisted learning her mother tongue.
—Aditi Sriram, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Ragip Soylu, Time, 18 July 2025
Since 1994, Ethiopia’s policy has been that students should receive instruction in their mother tongue (or the dominant mother tongue of their area) in grades one through eight and shift to English instruction in ninth grade.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 20 June 2025
The presenters spoke their mother tongue (Farsi and Hindi), which was detected and translated in real-time to English.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2025
Growing up in upstate New York, Lin rejected her Chinese heritage and resisted learning her mother tongue.
—Aditi Sriram, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue
Noun
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The usual way to craft programming code entails the handwriting of source code, often using a conventional programming language such as Python, C++, and other popular coding languages.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Having sat with Jones in their home studio, Ronson understood the language of digital sound meters, tape machines and knobs and faders, as well as the importance of reading the room.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The answer is to read more, in conjunction with expanding one’s vocabulary.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Sep. 2025
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The consensus narrative of institutional finance has become so detached from empirical reality that diagnosing the problem requires abandoning its vocabulary for the precision of mathematics.—
Benjamin D. Summers,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Quickly push the pill to the back of the cat’s tongue and let go.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
15 Sep. 2025
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At the time, Bates did not hold her tongue about losing the show.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Many live in complex social groups, communicate in different dialects, pass on culture through generations, engage in play and even grieve the loss of family and friends as was the case here.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Simulate high-stress scenarios with diverse dialects and vernacular; document any empathy drop-off.—
Tayfun Bilsel,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, analytical software has revolutionized linguistic inquiry, enabling greater understanding of the ways language works—when, how, and why words break out; the specific contexts for expressions and idioms.—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
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Nonnas There's a saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and Joe Scaravella (Vince Vaughn) of 2025's Nonnas is the perfect depiction of the idiom.—
Jacqueline Weiss,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20tongue. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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