Spanish Noun: Lengua
Pronunciation: Layn-gooah
Translation: Tongue
Function: Noun
‘Lengua’ is frequently translated as “tongue”, “language” or “idiom”, but it should be used just for the first two, as “language” is related to ‘Lenguaje’, and the Spanish signification is associated with an individual practice: each person has his or her own language.
A nation has a ‘lengua’ and each one of its citizens, has a version of her own: her ‘lenguaje’. In English that is not the case. Both tongue and language refer to the same set of symbols.
Example:
Es una lengua muy rica en adjetivos
Translation:
It is a tongue very rich in adjectives.
Tags: lengua, Spanish Grammar, Spanish noun