Knowra First language First language A first language is the language a person acquires first, typically through early childhood interaction. It is also called a native language or mother tongue.
Language acquisition : The process by which people develop the ability to understand and use language. First languages are acquired through this broader process, usually without formal instruction.
Joint attention : Shared focus between people on an object or event, often signaled through gaze or gesture. It helps young children connect words with what caregivers are attending to.
Simultaneous bilingualism : Acquisition of two languages from early childhood, rather than learning one only after the other is established. It shows that a person may have more than one first language.
Mother tongue : A common name for a person's first or inherited language, though definitions vary by context. This familiar label overlaps with first language but can imply family or cultural ties.
Second-language acquisition : The process of learning a language after a person’s first language has begun to develop. It contrasts with the early acquisition that defines a first language.
Caregiver speech : Speech addressed to young children, often marked by clear phrasing, repetition, and heightened intonation. It supplies structured, socially engaging language during early acquisition.
Sign language acquisition : The development of a sign language by a person exposed to it during childhood. It demonstrates that a first language can be visual and signed rather than spoken.
Native speaker : A person who acquired a language from early childhood, often through sustained use in a community. Native-speaker status is often associated with first-language acquisition, but the two are not identical.
Bilingualism : The ability to use two languages, with proficiency varying across speakers and contexts. A person can acquire two first languages through early exposure to both.
Statistical learning : The ability to detect patterns and regularities in sequences from experience. Infants use recurring sound patterns to infer likely word boundaries.
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