Muttersprachlicher

Muttersprachlicher is a German adjective derived from Muttersprache (mother tongue). It describes something related to a person’s native language or characteristic of it. The form is used attributively before a masculine singular noun, with the ending -er, as in muttersprachlicher Sprecher (“native-language speaker”). Corresponding inflected forms include muttersprachliche Sprecherin (feminine), muttersprachliches Kind (neuter), and muttersprachliche Sprecher (plural). In other grammatical slots, the endings vary according to gender, number, and case.

In usage, muttersprachlicher appears in discussions of language acquisition, education, and sociolinguistics to distinguish native-language competence from second-language skills. It can describe content or environments delivered in the mother tongue, such as muttersprachlicher Unterricht (native-language instruction) or muttersprachliche Erziehung. For neutrality, one may also use phrases like in der Muttersprache or muttersprachliche Kompetenzen to emphasize linguistic proficiency rather than identity.

Etymology and related forms: the term combines Muttersprache with the adjective suffix -lich, forming muttersprachlich as an adjective and muttersprachlicher as its masculine singular attributive form. The related adverb muttersprachlich describes actions performed in one’s mother tongue, e.g., muttersprachlich kommunizieren.

See also: Muttersprache, German language education, language acquisition, sociolinguistics.