second language

Also known as L2

language spoken in addition to one's first language

AI overview

A second language is any language you learn and speak in addition to your native language or first language. Learning a second language matters because it enables communication with more people, can enhance cognitive abilities, and often opens up educational and professional opportunities.

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Article

Blackboard used in class at Harvard shows students' efforts at placing the diaeresis and acute accent diacritics used in Spanish orthography. A second language (L2) is a language spoken in addition to one's first language (L1). A second language may be a neighbouring language, another language of the speaker's home country, or a foreign language.

A speaker's dominant language, which is the language a speaker uses most or is most comfortable with, is not necessarily the speaker's first language. For example, the Canadian census defines first language for its purposes as "What is the language that this person first learned at home in childhood and still understands?", recognizing that for some, the earliest language may be lost, a process known as language attrition. This can happen when young children start school or move to a new language environment.