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.
Though Vargas’ mother was educated in the American school system, she made a point of preserving her family’s mother tongue.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 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
For Esau, not being able to speak her mother tongue was "a wound".
From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025
Rapping in the Irish language, a hip-hop trio from Belfast lead a movement to save their mother tongue.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2025
In order to serve his rural clients, most of whom spoke Spanish, Bloom had painstakingly learned to speak that language well—but Linda had what almost amounted to an aversion toward her mother tongue.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
