SECOND LANGUAGE Definition & Meaning

second language

noun

a language learned by a person after their native language, especially as a resident of an area where their new language is in general use.
a language widely used, especially in educational and governmental functions in a region where all or most of its speakers are nonnative, as English in India or Nigeria.

second language

noun

a language other than the mother tongue that a person or community uses for public communication, esp in trade, higher education, and administration
a non-native language officially recognized and adopted in a multilingual country as a means of public communication

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of second language¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Opponents included the California Teachers Assn. and English-language learner advocates, who said in a joint letter that the bill would put a “disproportionate emphasis on phonics,” and would not focus on the skills needed by students learning English as a second language.

From

Some who spoke English as a second language said they found it difficult to understand information.

From

Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England, managed to survive Wednesday's French debate despite being less proficient in the country's second language.

From

My dad was a nuclear engineer and my mom worked as a translator and interpreter, and English is her second language.

From

He said "a long list of injuries" had hampered a coach who arrived mid-season into a tough league and with English as his second language.

From

second lady second lien

Browse