native tongue
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the same way that learning another language helps us understand our native tongue more deeply, travel forms character through lived experience.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Alhambra was another one of L.A.’s unofficial Chinatowns where everyone still spoke their native tongue.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026
She has no background in instruction, and the only language that she and her pupils share is English, which is not a native tongue for any of them.
From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2024
French became my native tongue, even though English is now my strongest language because I've been working in English as a journalist for 25 or 26 years.
From Salon • Feb. 27, 2024
The more she practices, the sooner she'll be back into her native tongue, the aunts insist.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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