# father tongue

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɑː.ðə ˌtʌŋ/

## Definitions
1. A separate language for expressing ideas, as opposed to the vernacular (mother tongue) which is employed for everyday speech.
2. The form of language acquired through education and reading, as opposed to the dialect one grows up speaking; educated or formal language.
3. A second language that one speaks fluently.
4. The language spoken by one's father, when it differs from that spoken by one's mother.

## Etymology
From father + tongue (“language”), modelled after mother tongue.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/father-tongue