metalanguage

noun

UK /ˈmɛtəˌlæŋɡwɪdʒ/

US /ˈmɛtəˌlæŋɡwɪdʒ/

Metalanguage is the special words we use when we talk about language itself.

When the teacher said the word 'noun' is a naming word, she was using metalanguage.

SYNONYMS

language about language technical vocabulary terminology jargon critical vocabulary

RELATED WORDS

linguistics grammar semantics metalinguistic discourse

OTHER MEANINGS

2. In logic and philosophy, a language used to talk about another language, called the object language.

The logician used metalanguage to describe the rules of the formal system.

3. The specialized vocabulary of a particular subject or profession.

Doctors use their own metalanguage that patients often do not understand.

4. In computing, a language used to describe or define other languages, such as a grammar notation.

Backus-Naur form is a metalanguage for describing programming language syntax.