Titre : "Langue" in French — One Word, Two Meanings, One Latin Root
Slug : etymology-french-word-langue-delf-oral
Meta desc: Langue means both tongue and language in French. Discover the Latin etymology of this word and what it reveals ...
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Using langage when you mean langue will cost you points on the lexical richness criterion at the DELF B2.
Etymology
"Langue" in French — One Word, Two Meanings, One Latin Root
By PASS DELF · Etymology Series · June 2026 · 5 min read
Langue means both tongue and language in French. Discover the Latin etymology of this word and what it reveals about how to use it precisely at the DELF oral exam.
The Latin Root: Lingua
The French word langue comes directly from the Latin lingua — which meant, exactly like its French descendant, both tongue (the organ) and language (the system).
For the Romans, this was not a coincidence. It was a simple observation: language comes from the tongue. The instrument and the music it produces share the same name.
For the Romans, this was not a coincidence. It was a simple observation: language comes from the tongue. The instrument and the music it produces share the same name.
- Tirer la langue → to stick out your tongue
- Parler plusieurs langues → to speak several languages
- La langue française → the French language
Key Distinctions for DELF B2
| Term | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| la langue | language as a system | neutral |
| la parole | individual speech act | linguistique |
| le langage | human capacity for language | philosophique |
| le dialecte | regional variety | sociolinguistique |
| l'argot | slang | familier |
Using langage when you mean langue will cost you points on the lexical richness criterion at the DELF B2.
Key Phrases for the DELF Oral
“Maîtriser une langue étrangère, c'est accéder à une autre façon de penser.”
“Il faut distinguer la langue écrite, plus formelle, de la langue parlée, plus spontanée.”
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