The key difference between second language and foreign language is that while both second language and foreign language are languages other than the mother tongue of the speaker, second language refers to a language that is used for public communication of that country whereas foreign language refers to a language that is not widely used by the people of that country.
Many people use the two terms second language and foreign language interchangeably, assuming that there is no difference between them. However, there is a distinct difference between second language and foreign language, especially in pedagogy and sociolinguistics.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Second Language
3. What is a Foreign Language
4. Similarities Between Second Language and Foreign Language
5. Side by Side Comparison – Second Language vs Foreign Language in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is a Second Language?
Second language (L2) is a language that is not the mother tongue of the speaker, but a language for public communication, epically, in trade, higher education, and administration. Second language also refers to a non-native language officially recognized and accepted in a multilingual country as a means of public communication. In other words, second language is the language you learn in addition to your mother language.
French, English, Spanish, and Russian are some examples of second languages. These languages have official status in certain countries. Thus people of these countries learn these languages in addition to their native language. For example, English is a second language in most South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Likewise, French serves as a second language in countries like Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
Furthermore, we use the term bilingual to refer to a person who speaks another language in addition to his native language. A multilingual, on the other hand, is a person who is proficient in more than two languages. A general acceptance is that when a person learns a second language in his childhood, he or she becomes more proficient and native-like than a person who acquires the same language in adulthood. However, most learners of a second language never achieve native-like proficiency in it.
What is a Foreign Language?
A foreign language is a language that is not widely spoken or used by the people of a community, society or nation. In other words, it refers to any language other than that spoken by the people of a specific place. For example, Spanish is a foreign language to a person living in India. However, English is not typically a foreign language to a person living in India; it is a second language.
The difference between second language and foreign language depends on the usage of the language in that particular geographical area. English is an official language in India, and it is actively used for public communication, unlike Spanish. However, in a country like China, English can be considered a foreign language.
What are the Similarities Between Second Language and Foreign Language?
- Both second language and foreign language are languages other than the mother tongue of the speaker.
- Learning a second language or a foreign language makes a person bilingual.
What is the Difference Between Second Language and Foreign Language?
Second language is a language a person learns after his or her mother tongue of the speaker, especially as a resident of an area where it is in general use. In contrast, a foreign language refers to any language other than that spoken by the people of a specific place. The main distinction between the two is that former refers to a language generally recognized officially and used in a particular geographical area while the latter refers to a language that is not commonly used in that specific area. For example, English in India and Pakistan, French in Algeria and Tunisia are second languages. Similarly, Spanish in India and English in China (mainland) are foreign languages.
Summary – Second Language vs Foreign Language
Second language is a language a person learns after his or her mother tongue of the speaker, especially as a resident of an area where it is in general use while foreign language refers to any language other than that spoken by the people of a specific place. This is the basic difference between second language and foreign language.
Reference:
1. “Second Language.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 June 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.’1502369′ by 905513 (CC0) via pixabay