The First language reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

First language

First language (native language, mother tongue) is the language a person learns first. Correspondingly, the person is called a native speaker of the language. Usually a child learns the basics of first language from his family.

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

The term "mother tongue" could be misleading. In some paternal societies, mothers are from different places and speak different dialects or languages. Yet their children usually only speak their local language. Only a few will learn to speak his/her mother's language like a native. Actually, mother in this context probably originated from the definition of mother as source, or origin.

See also: bilingual, language acquisition, literacy, second language, sign language

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