Why's it called 'mother tongue'? 6 Minute English

Improve your English listening and vocabulary with BBC Learning English! 'Mother tongue' is an interesting English expression. Like many languages, English has a number of gender-specific terms that don’t refer to gender-specific ideas and concepts. And this complicated relationship between language and gender is what Sam and Georgina are talking about in this programme.

You'll find audio and text for download on our website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/...

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬:
Is tourism harmful?
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Does your name start with the wrong letter?
   • Does your name start with the wrong letter...  

Are you good at complaining?
   • Are you good at complaining? 6 Minute English  

Can you spot a lie?
   • Can you spot a lie? 6 Minute English  


𝐕𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲:
𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫
the person most responsible for looking after someone

𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧
the place or time where something begins or comes from

𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐫
a way to describe something by saying that it is something else with similar qualities

𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞
to understand something to be true, to think of something in a particular way

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬
important, respected

𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲
a difference, an inequality



[Cover: Getty Images]

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