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
Somewhere along the line, she also became extremely adept at writing in English, as her novels are not written in her native tongue.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026
For me, as a third-culture kid navigating multiple identities, I always felt torn—caught between the cultural world my parents raised me in and the white Pennsylvania suburb that rejected our customs and native tongue.
From Salon • Feb. 22, 2025
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
As if, despite their different accents, they had finally met someone who spoke their native tongue.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
