| / English Dictionary |
LANGUAGE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The mental faculty or power of vocal communication
Example:
language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("language" is a kind of...):
faculty; mental faculty; module (one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind)
Meronyms (parts of "language"):
lexis (all of the words in a language; all word forms having meaning or grammatical function)
lexicon; mental lexicon; vocabulary (a language user's knowledge of words)
Domain member category:
verbalise; verbalize (convert into a verb)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The cognitive processes involved in producing and understanding linguistic communication
Example:
he didn't have the language to express his feelings
Synonyms:
language; linguistic process
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("language" is a kind of...):
higher cognitive process (cognitive processes that presuppose the availability of knowledge and put it to use)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "language"):
reading (the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
Example:
the speed with which a program can be executed depends on the language in which it is written
Synonyms:
language; linguistic communication
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("language" is a kind of...):
communication (something that is communicated by or to or between people or groups)
Domain member category:
diachronic; historical (used of the study of a phenomenon (especially language) as it changes through time)
synchronic (concerned with phenomena (especially language) at a particular period without considering historical antecedents)
uncorrupted; undefiled ((of language) not having its purity or excellence debased)
well-turned ((of language) aptly and pleasingly expressed)
crystal clear; limpid; lucid; luculent; pellucid; perspicuous ((of language) transparently clear; easily understandable)
alphabetize (provide with an alphabet)
language; oral communication; speech; speech communication; spoken communication; spoken language; voice communication ((language) communication by word of mouth)
expressive style; style (a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period)
accent; accent mark (a diacritical mark used to indicate stress or placed above a vowel to indicate a special pronunciation)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "language"):
slanguage (language characterized by excessive use of slang or cant)
barrage; bombardment; onslaught; outpouring (the rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication (spoken or written))
linguistic string; string of words; word string (a linear sequence of words as spoken or written)
interlanguage; koine; lingua franca (a common language used by speakers of different languages)
natural language; tongue (a human written or spoken language used by a community; opposed to e.g. a computer language)
superstrate; superstratum (the language of a later invading people that is imposed on an indigenous population and contributes features to their language)
indigenous language (a language that originated in a specified place and was not brought to that place from elsewhere)
native language (the language that a person has spoken from earliest childhood)
metalanguage (a language that can be used to describe languages)
artificial language (a language that is deliberately created for a specific purpose)
sign language; signing (language expressed by visible hand gestures)
object language; target language (the language into which a text written in another language is to be translated)
source language (a language that is to be translated into another language)
words (language that is spoken or written)
dead language (a language that is no longer learned as a native language)
usage (the customary manner in which a language (or a form of a language) is spoken or written)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A system of words used to name things in a particular discipline
Example:
the language of sociology
Synonyms:
language; nomenclature; terminology
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("language" is a kind of...):
word (a unit of language that native speakers can identify)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "language"):
markup language (a set of symbols and rules for their use when doing a markup of a document)
toponomy; toponymy (the nomenclature of regional anatomy)
Sense 5
Meaning:
The text of a popular song or musical-comedy number
Example:
the song uses colloquial language
Synonyms:
language; lyric; words
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("language" is a kind of...):
text; textual matter (the words of something written)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "language"):
love lyric (the lyric of a love song)
Holonyms ("language" is a part of...):
song; vocal (a short musical composition with words)
Sense 6
Meaning:
(language) communication by word of mouth
Example:
he recorded the spoken language of the streets
Synonyms:
language; oral communication; speech; speech communication; spoken communication; spoken language; voice communication
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("language" is a kind of...):
auditory communication (communication that relies on hearing)
Domain category:
language; linguistic communication (a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "language"):
words (the words that are spoken)
orthoepy; pronunciation (the way a word or a language is customarily spoken)
conversation (the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.)
discussion; give-and-take; word (an exchange of views on some topic)
expression; locution; saying (a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations)
non-standard speech (speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community)
idiolect (the language or speech of one individual at a particular period in life)
monologue (a long utterance by one person (especially one that prevents others from participating in the conversation))
charm; magic spell; magical spell; spell (a verbal formula believed to have magical force)
dictation (speech intended for reproduction in writing)
monologue; soliloquy (speech you make to yourself)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Present simple (first person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person plural) of the verb language
Context examples:
Children with hearing problems tend to do less well than their peers in terms of language development and academic performance.
(Mild-to-moderate hearing loss in children leads to changes in how brain processes sound, University of Cambridge)
Too many hours looking at smartphones and tablets 'slows down toddlers' language and reading development because it changes the structure of their brains.
(Too Much Screen Time Changes Structure of Toddlers' Brains, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
The old reprobate with the surplice burst into a volley of bad language.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The maids complained of his drunken habits and his vile language.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
They took their hats off and made obeisance and many signs, which, however, I could not understand any more than I could their spoken language....
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
His face was shining, his eyes flashing with excitement as he translated into articulate language the speech of the horns and sirens.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
I have learned a new language since then.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
"How are you about languages?" asked Mrs. Carrol of Jo.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
White Fang picked out the post for himself, and Matt backed his judgment with strong language after the experiment had been tried.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
