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Vinony

metalanguage

noun

  1. linguistics term; language or symbols used when language itself is being discussed or examined.
L323860 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *me Proto-Indo-European *meth₂? Ancient Greek μετᾰ́ (metắ) Ancient Greek μετᾰ- (metă-)lbor. English meta- Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s Proto-Italic *dn̥ɣwā Latin dingua Latin lingua Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Vulgar Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Vulgar Latin -icus Vulgar Latin -āticus Vulgar Latin -āticum Vulgar Latin *linguāticum Old French languagebor. Middle English langage English language English metalanguage From meta- + language.

  1. Any language or vocabulary of terms used to describe or analyze a language or linguistic process.

    “In order to talk or theorise about phenomena, one inevitably uses a language that is in effect a metalanguage, a special instance of language that allows the theorist to stand back and describe what is happening.”

  2. Any similar language used to define a programming language