First language (native language, mother tongue) is the language a person learns first. Correspondingly, the person is called a native speaker of the language. Usually a child learns the basics of their first language from their family.
Good skills in native language are essential for further learning, as native language is thought to be a base of thinking. Incomplete first language skills often make learning other languages difficult. Native language has therefore a central role in education.
The term "mother tongue" could be misleading. In some paternal societies, mothers are from different places and speak different dialects or languages. Yet their children usually only speak their local language. Only a few will learn to speak his/her mother's language like a native. Actually, mother in this context probably originated from the definition of mother as source, or origin.
One can have two (or more) native languages, thus being a native bilingual. The order in which these languages are learnt is not necessarily the order of proficiency. For instance, a French-speaking couple might have a daughter who learned French first, then English; but if she grew up in the United States, she is likely to become more proficient in English.
Native is an adjective meaning "from birth", as in native language, nativespeaker.
However, native is also often used to mean "belonging to an ethnic group historically inhabiting that region at the time Western writers became acquainted with the region." In this sense it is synonymous with "indigenous", as in "Native American" or "First Nations".
Native operation system, native instruction set, etc., in application to a computer processor means that the corresponding item was implemented specifically for the given model of computer, as opposed to, say, emulation or compatibility mode.
NativeSpeakers at Albion College are university students in their early twenties (usually between the ages of 20 and 25) from French, Spanish, or German-speaking countries.
NativeSpeakers are responsible for their airfare, books, $150 refundable deposit, yearbook fee ($42 in 2003-2004), vacation/ travel expenses in the United States, and personal expenses.
The NativeSpeaker is expected to perform satisfactorily in his/her courses to satisfy American immigration regulations and the academic standards of Albion College.
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