mother 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.
But that authenticity was also palpable in Martin’s performance on Sunday — a vindication for all the years his mother tongue was manipulated in the mainstream.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
He dropped his English name, James, and resolved to write only in the language of the Kikuyu people, his mother tongue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
At the time, Adamu argued that pupils grasped concepts more readily when taught in "their own mother tongue" - a view supported by numerous UN studies on early childhood education.
From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025
As the young children enthusiastically sang out phrases, Esau interjected occasionally to correct their pronunciation of the distinct sounds and deep clicks of her mother tongue, of which she is the last first-language speaker.
From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025
But still I couldn’t enter any tribal university because I had failed my mother tongue.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
