First language

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<pre><code>If someone, who is not native in English, has been in the U.S for 8 years and can not read nor write his native language well, even if he speaks in his native language at home, does he say in the common application that his first language is English or not?

</code></pre>

<p>Any comment will be highly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Time to pull out the web dictionaries/Wikipedia:</p>

<p>[First</a> language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_language]First”>First language - Wikipedia)

</p>

<p>[WordNet</a> Search - 3.0](<a href=“http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=first%20language]WordNet”>http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=first%20language)

</p>

<p>Ability to read/write in your first language is not required. However, since a first language can be defined as a language you know best, you could put English if it seems correct. Use your best judgement, but don’t get too worried about it.</p>

<p>Also see:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/622818-first-language.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/622818-first-language.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Thank you very much, Absent. It will be a great help. Around me, there are tons of children, who had immigrated in the U.S and forgot to speak their native language. Even if the definition of the first language is the language a human being learns from birth, it seems to me that it should not apply to them, when they file out common application form.</p>