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My dad is a minister, and my mum is a worker with the less fortunate and the disabled. They're Nigerian natives. Their first language is Yoruba, and their second language is English.
John Boyega

Meaning of "second language" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF SECOND LANGUAGE

second language play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SECOND LANGUAGE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Second language is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SECOND LANGUAGE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Second language

A person's second language is a language that is not the mother tongue of, but that is used in the area of that person. In contrast, a foreign language is a language that is learned in an area where that language is not generally spoken. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas. More informally, a second language or L2 can be said to be any language learned in addition to one's mother tongues, especially in context of second language acquisition. A person's first language is not necessarily their dominant language, the one they use most or are most comfortable with. For example, the Canadian census defines first language for its purposes as "the first language learned in childhood and still spoken", recognizing that for some, the earliest language may be lost, a process known as language attrition. This can happen when young children move, with or without their family, to a new language environment.

Definition of second language in the English dictionary

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

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SECOND LANGUAGE

second fiddle
second floor
second form
second gear
second generation
second growth
second hand
second home
second house
Second International
second lieutenant
second man
second mate
second mortgage
second name
second nature
second officer
second opinion
second person
second reading

WORDS THAT END LIKE SECOND LANGUAGE

American sign language
artificial language
body language
command language
community language
English as a Foreign Language
English as a Second Language
first language
formal language
high-level language
language
messuage
native language
natural language
plain language
programming language
sign language
source language
speak the same language
target language
Unified Modeling Language

Synonyms and antonyms of second language in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «second language» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SECOND LANGUAGE

Find out the translation of second language to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of second language from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «second language» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

第二语言
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

segundo idioma
570 millions of speakers

English

second language
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

दूसरी भाषा
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

اللغة الثانية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

второй язык
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

segunda língua
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

দ্বিতীয় ভাষা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

deuxième langue
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Bahasa kedua
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Zweitsprache
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

第2外国語
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

제 2언어
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Basa kapindho
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

ngôn ngữ thứ hai
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

இரண்டாம் மொழி
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

दुसरी भाषा
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

ikinci dil
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

seconda lingua
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

drugi język
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

друга мова
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

a doua limbă
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

δεύτερη γλώσσα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

tweede taal
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

andraspråk
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

andrespråk
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of second language

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SECOND LANGUAGE»

The term «second language» is quite widely used and occupies the 30.965 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
86
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «second language» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of second language
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «second language».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SECOND LANGUAGE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «second language» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «second language» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about second language

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «SECOND LANGUAGE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word second language.
1
Gael Garcia Bernal
In English, I'm a little bit limited. I speak English as a second language, and that's a little limitation that I have to work around and I have to use it to my favor. So, yes, that's why I end up wanting to do more things in Latin America.
2
John Boyega
My dad is a minister, and my mum is a worker with the less fortunate and the disabled. They're Nigerian natives. Their first language is Yoruba, and their second language is English.
3
Juan Pablo Galavis
Everyone knows English is my second language and my vocabulary is not as broad as it is in Spanish, and because of this, sometimes I use the wrong words to express myself.
4
Marilyn Hacker
There is a way in which all writing is connected. In a second language, for example, a workshop can liberate the students' use of the vocabulary they're acquiring.
5
Bai Ling
English is my second language, but in Hong Kong, they don't know that I'm from China. They think I'm from Hollywood because all the films they see are from here. China and Hong Kong are very different places, but they're starting to merge. Still the culture is very different.
6
Theresa May
You only have to look at London, where almost half of all primary school children speak English as a second language, to see the challenges we now face as a country. This isn't fair to anyone: how can people build relationships with their neighbours if they can't even speak the same language?
7
Edgar Ramirez
I've never lived in an English-speaking country, ever, but I lived in Austria. So, my second language is German. And when I went to school, I had a lot of classes in English.
8
Martin Rees
Scientists habitually moan that the public doesn't understand them. But they complain too much: public ignorance isn't peculiar to science. It's sad if some citizens can't tell a proton from a protein. But it's equally sad if they're ignorant of their nation's history, can't speak a second language, or can't find Venezuela or Syria on a map.
9
W. G. Sebald
It is a sore point, because you do have advantages if you have access to more than one language. You also have problems, because on bad days you don't trust yourself, either in your first or your second language, and so you feel like a complete halfwit.
10
Thalia
I think it's important if you're American to have a second language, and Spanish is the language to have.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SECOND LANGUAGE»

Discover the use of second language in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to second language and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Educating Second Language Children: The Whole Child, the ...
This text brings together the work of 15 elementary education experts who support an integrative approach to educating second language children.
Fred Genesee, 1994
2
Vygotskian Approaches to Second Language Research
In many ways, this edited volume can be read as a showcase for the state of affairs in SLA research.
James P. Lantolf, Gabriela Appel, 1994
3
Foreign and Second Language Learning: Language Acquisition ...
In Foreign and Second Language Learning, William Littlewood surveys recent research into how people acquire languages and considers its relevance for language teaching.
William Littlewood, 1984
4
Second Language Writing
Providing an authoritative, readable, and up-to-date guide to teaching writing to ESL Students, this book offers both pre- & in-service teachers advice that is grounded in current theory & research.
Ken Hyland, 2003
5
Understanding Second Language Acquisition
This is a cutting-edge yet accessible intorduction to Second Language Acquisition. It covers concepts, themes, goals, research problems, methods, theories and new directions.
Lourdes Ortega, 2014
6
Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms
This text introduces techniques for teachers to explore their classroom experiences and for critical reflection on teaching practices. This book introduces teachers to techniques for exploring their own classroom experiences.
Jack C. Richards, Charles Lockhart, 1994
7
Second Language Needs Analysis
The studies in this volume explore Needs Analysis in the public, vocational and academic sectors, in contexts ranging from service encounters in coffee shops to foreign language needs assessment in the U.S. military.
Michael H. Long, 2005
8
Interactive Approaches to Second Language Reading
Emphasis is on English as a second language.
Patricia L. Carrell, Joanne Devine, David E. Eskey, 1988
9
Classroom-Based Evaluation in Second Language Education
The book emphasizes the value of classroom-based assessment as a tool for improving both teaching and learning. The presentation is non-technical and does not require a specialized background in psychometrics, statistics, or research.
Fred Genesee, 1996
10
Second Language Writing: Research Insights for the Classroom
This text is a highly accessible and authoritative approach to the theory and practice of teaching writing to students of English.
Barbara Kroll, 1990

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SECOND LANGUAGE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term second language is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Budding police constables must speak second language in Met pilot …
Aspiring police constables must speak a second language to join London's ... police force, applicants must speak one of 14 languages as well as English. «The Guardian, Jul 15»
2
On The High School Diploma: A 'Bilingual' Stamp Of Approval?
Nationwide, a record number of Americans speak a second language, according to the Pew Research Center. And that's not just because 62 percent of ... «NPR, Apr 15»
3
Money, dream jobs, a better brain: why everyone should learn a …
With more online learning resources available than we know what to do with, there's really no reason for you to not know a second language. Being bilingual not ... «The Next Web, Mar 15»
4
Being bilingual really does boost brain power
The findings mirror observations from previous studies that found these improvements in people who learned a second language at a much earlier age. «Daily Mail, Jan 15»
5
At least 1.1m pupils speak English as a second language
The number of schoolchildren speaking English as a second language has soared by a third in just five years amid fresh concerns that immigration may be ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jun 14»
6
Learning second language 'slows brain ageing'
Learning a second language can have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is taken up in adulthood, a University of Edinburgh study suggests. Researchers ... «BBC News, Jun 14»
7
Speaking a second language may delay dementia
People who speak more than one language and who develop dementia tend to do so up to five years later than those who are monolingual, according to a study ... «BBC News, Nov 13»
8
City Of Doral Votes Against Spanish As Official Second Language
Only one state – Hawaii – has adopted a second official language, naturally Hawaiian. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, there is sporadic use of Spanish and ... «Huffington Post, Feb 13»
9
Census 2011: Polish becomes the second language
But in London more than one in five use another language – a figure which rises to more than 40 per cent in Newham, east London, the country's most ethnically ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jan 13»
10
Second Languages Slow Brain Decline
Speaking two languages throughout life may slow the loss of mental agility that comes with age. When seniors were challenged to switch between two basic ... «Discovery News, Jan 13»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Second language [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/second-language>. Apr 2024 ».
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