Editing First language (section)

==Multilingualism==
One can have two or more native languages, thus being a native ''bilingual'' or indeed ''[[Multilingualism|multilingual]]''. The order in which these languages are learned is not necessarily the order of proficiency. For instance, if a French-speaking couple have a child who learned French first but then grew up in an English-speaking country, the child would likely be most proficient in English.
===Defining "native speaker"===
Defining what constitutes a native speaker is difficult, and there is no test which can identify one. It is not known whether native speakers are a defined group of people, or if the concept should be thought of as a perfect prototype to which actual speakers may or may not conform.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Linguistics Student's Handbook|last=Bauer|first=Laurie|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7486-2758-5|pages=78}}</ref>

An article titled "The Native Speaker: An Achievable Model?" published by the Asian EFL Journal<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lee |first=Joseph J. |date=2005 |title=The native speaker: An achievable model? |url=https://asian-efl-journal.com/June_05_jl.pdf |journal=Asian EFL Journal |volume=7 |issue=2 |at=article 9 |access-date=26 May 2020 |archive-date=29 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229185102/http://asian-efl-journal.com/June_05_jl.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> states that there are six general principles that relate to the definition of "native speaker". The principles, according to the study, are typically accepted by language experts across the scientific field. A native speaker is defined according to the following guidelines:

#The individual acquired the language in early childhood and maintains the use of the language.
#The individual has intuitive knowledge of the language.
#The individual is able to produce fluent, spontaneous discourse.
#The individual is communicatively competent in different social contexts.
#The individual identifies with or is identified by a language community.
#The individual does not have a foreign accent.