/ ˈlæŋgwɪdʒ; NAmE / noun
OF A COUNTRY
1.
[ C ] 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.
[ U ] 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.
[ U ] 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.
[ C , U ] 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.
[ C , U ] a system of symbols and rules that is used to operate a computer :
a programming language
•
IDIOMS
- mind / watch your language
- speak / talk the same language
••
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.
language
a particular style of speaking or writing:
Give your instructions in everyday language.
•
the language of the legal profession
vocabulary
all 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.
terms
a 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.
NOTE
Literary / poetic terminology is used for talking about literature or poetry. Literary / poetic language is used for writing in a literary or poetic style.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
formal / informal language / vocabulary / terms / wording / terminology
everyday language / vocabulary / terms / terminology
technical language / vocabulary / wording / terminology
business / scientific / specialized language / vocabulary / terminology
careful / ambiguous language / terms / wording / terminology
to enrich / expand your language / vocabulary
A word enters the language / the vocabulary.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French langage , based on Latin lingua tongue.