language

Share this

language [noun]

A system of communication consisting of sounds, words, and grammar, or the system of communication used by people in a particular country or type of work

US /ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪdʒ/ 
UK /ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪdʒ/ 
Example: 

She does research into how children acquire language.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

language

 noun

1 (plural languages) words that people from a particular country say and write:
'Do you speak any foreign languages?' 'Yes, I speak French and Italian.'

2 (no plural) words that people use to speak and write:
This word is not often used in spoken language.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

language

language S1 W1 /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: langue 'tongue, language', from Latin lingua]
1. ENGLISH/FRENCH/ARABIC ETC [uncountable and countable] a system of communication by written or spoken words, which is used by the people of a particular country or area:
How many languages do you speak?
one of the best-known poems in the English language
2. COMMUNICATION [uncountable] the use of written or spoken words to communicate:
the origins of language
3. STYLE/TYPE OF WORDS [uncountable] a particular style or type of words
legal/medical/technical etc language
The letter was written in complicated legal language.
spoken/written language
The expression is mainly used in written language.
ordinary/everyday language
He is able to explain complicated ideas in simple everyday language.
literary/poetic language
The plays are full of old-fashioned poetic language.
language of
the language of science
4. SWEARING [uncountable] informal words that most people think are offensive
mind/watch your language spoken (=stop swearing)
bad/foul/abusive language
5. strong language
a) angry words used to tell people exactly what you mean
b) words that most people think are offensive SYN swearing
6. COMPUTERS [uncountable and countable] technical a system of instructions for operating a computer:
a programming language for the web
7. SIGNS/ACTIONS/SOUNDS [uncountable and countable] signs, movements, or sounds that express ideas or feelings
language of
the language of bees
the language of dolphins
⇨ ↑body language, ↑sign language, ⇨ speak the same language at ↑speak(11)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
speak a language Can you speak a foreign language?
use a language The children use their native language at home.
learn a language Immigrants are expected to learn the language of their new country.
master a language (=succeed in learning a language well) She had had a long struggle to master the Russian language.
know a language He had lived in Japan, but did not know the language.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + language
a foreign language He found learning a foreign language extremely difficult.
the English/Japanese/Spanish etc language She had some knowledge of the Spanish language.
sb’s first/native language (=the language someone first learned as a child) His first language was Polish.
a second language (=a language you speak that is not your first language) Most of the students learned English as their second language.
modern languages (=languages that are spoken now) The school has a good modern languages department.
a dead language (=a language that is no longer spoken) She didn’t see the point of learning a dead language.
an official language (=the language used for official business in a country) Canada has two official languages: English and French.
a common language (=a language that more than one person or group speaks, so that they can understand each other) Most of the countries of South America share a common language: Spanish.
■ language + NOUN
the language barrier (=the problem of communicating with someone when you do not speak the same language) Because of the language barrier, it was hard for doctors to give good advice to patients.
a language student/learner Language learners often have problems with tenses.
a language teacher a book for language teachers
language teaching recent developments in language teaching
■ phrases
sb’s command of a language (=someone’s ability to speak a language) Does he have a good command of the language?
• • •
THESAURUS
■ different kinds of language
dialect a form of a language that is spoken in one area of a country, with different words, grammar, or pronunciation from other areas: Cantonese is only one of many Chinese dialects. | the local dialect
accent the way that someone pronounces words, because of where they were born or live, or their social class: Karen has a strong New Jersey accent. | an upper class accent
slang very informal spoken language, used especially by people who belong to a particular group, for example young people or criminals: Teenage slang changes all the time. | ‘Dosh’ is slang for ‘money’.
terminology formal the technical words or expressions that are used in a particular subject: musical terminology | Patients are often unfamiliar with medical terminology.
jargon especially disapproving words and phrases used in a particular profession or subject and which are difficult for other people to understand: The instructions were written in complicated technical jargon. | ‘Outsourcing’ is business jargon for sending work to people outside a company to do. | The letter was full of legal jargon.
■ techniques used in language
metaphor a way of describing something by referring to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thing: The beehive is a metaphor for human society.
simile an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words as or like, for example ‘as white as snow’: The poet uses the simile ‘soft like clay’.
irony the use of words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing: ‘I’m so happy to hear that,’ he said, with more than a trace of irony in his voice.
bathos a sudden change from a subject that is beautiful, moral, or serious to something that is ordinary, silly, or not important: The play is too sentimental and full of bathos.
hyperbole a way of describing something by saying that it is much bigger, smaller, worse etc than it actually is – used especially to excite people’s feelings: In his speeches, he used a lot of hyperbole. | journalistic hyperbole
alliteration the use of several words together that all begin with the same sound, in order to make a special effect, especially in poetry: the alliteration of the ‘s’ sound in ‘sweet birds sang softly’
imagery the use of words to describe ideas or actions in a way that makes the reader connect the ideas with pictures in their mind: the use of water imagery in Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ | She uses the imagery of a bird’s song to represent eternal hope.
rhetorical question a question that you ask as a way of making a statement, without expecting an answer: When he said ‘how can these attitudes still exist in a civilized society?’, he was asking a rhetorical question.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

language

lan·guage [language languages]   [ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ]    [ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ]  noun

 
OF A COUNTRY
1. countable the system of communication in speech and writing that is used by people of a particular country or area
the Japanese language
It takes a long time to learn to speak a language well.
Italian is my first language.
All the children must learn a foreign language.
She has a good command of the Spanish language.
a qualification in language teaching
They fell in love in spite of the language barrier (= the difficulty of communicating when people speak different languages).
Why study Latin? It's a dead language (= no longer spoken by anyone).
Is English an official language in your country?

see also  modern language  

COMMUNICATION

2. uncountable the use by humans of a system of sounds and words to communicate
• theories about the origins of language

• a study of language acquisition in two-year-olds  

STYLE OF SPEAKING/WRITING

3. uncountable a particular style of speaking or writing
bad/foul/strong language (= words that people may consider offensive)
literary/poetic language
the language of the legal profession
• Give your instructions in everyday language.

see also  bad language  

MOVEMENTS/SYMBOLS/SOUND

4. countable, uncountable a way of expressing ideas and feelings using movements, symbols and sound
the language of mime
the language of dolphins/bees

see also  body language, sign language  

COMPUTING

5. countable, uncountable a system of symbols and rules that is used to operate a computer
a programming language
Idioms: mind your language  talk the same language  
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French langage, based on Latin lingua ‘tongue’.  
Thesaurus:
language noun
1. C, U
Italian is my first language.
dialect|formal idiom|literary old-fashioned tongue
speak in a/an language/dialect/idiom/tongue
sb's native language/dialect/tongue
speak/understand/use/learn/study a language/dialect
2. U
The document was written in very formal language.
wordingtermsvocabularyterminologyusage
in… language/terms/vocabulary/terminology/usage
formal/informal/everyday language/terms/vocabulary/usage
use … language/wording/terms/vocabulary/terminology 
Synonyms:
language
vocabulary terms wording terminology
These are all terms for the words and expressions people use when they speak or write, or for a particular style of speaking or writing.
languagea particular style of speaking or writing: Give your instructions in everyday language. the language of the legal profession
vocabularyall the words that a person knows or uses, or all the words in a particular language; the words that people use when they are talking about a particular subject: to have a wide/limited vocabulary The word has become part of advertising vocabulary.
termsa way of expressing yourself or of saying sth: I'll try to explain in simple terms.
wording[usually sing.] the words that are used in a piece of writing or speech, especially when they have been carefully chosen: It was the standard form of wording for a consent letter.
terminology(rather formal) the set of technical words or expressions used in a particular subject; words used with particular meanings: medical terminology Scientists are constantly developing new terminologies.
Literary/poetic terminology is used for talking about literature or poetry. Literary/poetic language is used for writing in a literary or poetic style.
formal/informal/everyday language/vocabulary/terms
business/scientific/technical/specialized language/vocabulary/terminology
A word enters the language/the vocabulary. 
Example Bank:
Computers will never be able to understand natural language.
Her command of language is very advanced for a six-year-old.
His letter was couched in very formal language.
His strength is that he addresses his readers in plain language.
How many foreign languages does she speak?
I got by with broken Chinese and sign language.
Latin is a dead language.
Most local cinemas show films in the original language, with German subtitles.
Not all deaf people use sign language.
Portuguese is the national language of Brazil.
She could speak some Chinese, but never studied the written language.
She grew up in Mexico, so her first language is Spanish.
She reserved her harshest language for those she believed had betrayed her.
Some minority languages are dying out.
The referee told the players to mind their language.
The writer's use of language reflects the personality of each character.
You could tell from his body language that he was very embarrassed.
idiomatic expressions that enrich the language
manuscripts written in an unknown language
new methods of language learning
people using foul language
the teaching of English as a second language
Have you got a qualification in language teaching?
He has a good command of the Spanish language.
Italian is my first language.
She's got a degree in modern languages.
The following programme contains strong language.
They fell in love in spite of the language barrier.
• They were shouting and using bad/foul language.

• Why study Latin? It's a dead language.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

language / ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪdʒ / noun [ C or U ]

A1 a system of communication consisting of sounds, words, and grammar, or the system of communication used by people in a particular country or type of work:

She does research into how children acquire language.

Do you speak any foreign languages?"

I'm hopeless at learning languages.

the English language

legal/technical language

the language of business

Java and Perl are both important computer programming languages (= systems of writing instructions for computers) .

Word partners for language

learn / speak a language • a foreign language • spoken / written language • sb's first / native / second language • the official language • abusive / bad / foul / strong language

© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

language

/læŋgwɪdʒ/
(languages)

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.

1.
A language is a system of communication which consists of a set of sounds and written symbols which are used by the people of a particular country or region for talking or writing.
...the English language...
Students are expected to master a second language...
N-COUNT

2.
Language is the use of a system of communication which consists of a set of sounds or written symbols.
Students examined how children acquire language...
N-UNCOUNT

3.
You can refer to the words used in connection with a particular subject as the language of that subject.
...the language of business.
N-UNCOUNT: the N of n, supp N

4.
You can refer to someone’s use of rude words or swearing as bad language when you find it offensive.
Television companies tend to censor bad language in feature films...
There’s a girl gonna be in the club, so you guys watch your language.
N-UNCOUNT: adj N, poss N

5.
The language of a piece of writing or speech is the style in which it is written or spoken.
...a booklet summarising it in plain language...
The tone of his language was diplomatic and polite...
N-UNCOUNT: with supp

6.
You can use language to refer to various means of communication involving recognizable symbols, non-verbal sounds, or actions.
Some sign languages are very sophisticated means of communication.
...the digital language of computers.
N-VAR: supp N, N of n

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

language

lan·guage /ˈlæŋgwɪʤ/ noun, pl -guag·es
1 a [noncount] : the system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other
• spoken and written language
• the origin of language
- often used before another noun
language acquisition
language skills
- see also body language
b [count] : any one of the systems of human language that are used and understood by a particular group of people
• the English language
• How many languages do you speak?
• a foreign language
• French is her first/native language.
• The book has been translated into several languages.
• He's learning English as a second language.
• After a few days in France, I realized that I didn't know the language [=I didn't know the French language] as well as I had thought.
• a new word that has recently entered the language
• a language instructor/teacher
• foreign language classes
• A language barrier existed between the two countries. [=people in the two countries did not understand each other because they spoke different languages]
- see also sign language
2 [noncount] : words of a particular kind
• the formal language of the report
• the beauty of Shakespeare's language
• She expressed her ideas using simple and clear language.
• He is always careful in his use of language.
• bad/foul/obscene/strong/vulgar language
• You'd better watch your language [=be careful about the words you use] when you're talking to her.
3 [noncount] : the words and expressions used in a particular activity or by a particular group of people
• the language of diplomacy/lawyers
• legal/military language
4 [count] : a system of signs and symbols that is used to control a computer
• a programming language
5 [count] : a system of sounds or movements by which animals communicate with each other
• the language of bees/dolphins
speak/talk the same language : to understand each other well because of shared ideas and feelings
• She and I will never get along. We just don't speak the same language.