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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of second language¹

First recorded in 1875–80

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

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

Although some of the money supports classes and workshops on naturalization, citizenship and English as a second language, most of it goes toward one-on-one sessions with immigration experts such as Hernández.

From

He entered Eliot in sixth grade and was placed in an English as a Second Language class, where there were many students from Mexico and Central American countries.

From

second lady second lien

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