Definition

1. Noun:
   • Living language: A language that is currently spoken and used as a primary means of communication by a community of people. It is contrasted with a "dead language," which is no longer used in daily life.
   • Modern foreign language: A foreign language that is taught in schools and is actively used in contemporary international contexts.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tiếng Anh là một sinh ngữ quan trọng trên toàn cầu. (English is an important living language globally.)
  • Trường tôi dạy hai sinh ngữ: tiếng Pháp và tiếng Trung. (My school teaches two modern foreign languages: French and Chinese.)
  • Các nhà ngôn ngữ học thường nghiên cứu cả ngôn ngữ cổ đại lẫn sinh ngữ. (Linguists often study both ancient languages and living languages.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in academic and educational contexts to categorize language courses and fields of study, distinguishing them from classical or dead languages like Latin or Ancient Greek.

Variants and Related Words

• Ngoại ngữ (n): Foreign language. This is a broader, more common term for any language not native to the speaker, while "sinh ngữ" specifically implies it is a living, modern language.
  • Cô ấy giỏi nhiều ngoại ngữ. (She is proficient in many foreign languages.)

Synonyms

• Modern language: A language in current use.
• Spoken language: A language used in verbal communication.

Related Terms

• Ngôn ngữ chết / Tử ngữ (n): Dead language. A language that is no longer spoken as a native language in any community.
  • Tiếng Latinh được coi là một ngôn ngữ chết. (Latin is considered a dead language.)

1. Living language