native language

• CURIE: gmeow:nativeLanguage
• IRI: https://blackcatinformatics.ca/gmeow/nativeLanguage
• Category: property
• Defined by: gmeow:slices/languages
• Box roles: RBox role (What is this?)

Relates an agent to a native (mother-tongue / first) language — a specialization of gmeow:knowsLanguage. Non-functional: a person may have several native languages.

Structure

Property shape: object property; gmeow:Agent -> gmeow:Language Sub-property of: gmeow:knowsLanguage

Practical Pattern

Use gmeow:nativeLanguage from gmeow:Agent to gmeow:Language when the relationship itself belongs in the native GMEOW graph.

Example Snippets

These snippets are generated from canonical slice examples and trimmed to the Turtle blocks where this term appears.

Proficiency

• Source: slices/extensions/languages/examples/proficiency.ttl
• Examples catalog: open in catalog#example-slices-extensions-languages-examples-proficiency

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Blackcat Informatics® Inc. <paudley@blackcatinformatics.ca>
# SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
#
# Worked example: language proficiency is PER-MODALITY . A flat
# gmeow:nativeLanguage / gmeow:knowsLanguage says WHICH languages an agent has;
# the reified gmeow:LanguageProficiency says HOW WELL — and crucially per
# gmeow:proficiencyModality (reading / speaking / listening / signing …), because
# the same person is often strong reading a language and weak speaking it. Each
# proficiency is read against an explicit named gmeow:proficiencyScale (here
# CEFR), so a level is never a bare adjective. Languages reuse the core seeds
# (gmeow:langEnglish / langFrench).
@prefix gmeow: <https://blackcatinformatics.ca/gmeow/> .
@prefix ex:    <https://blackcatinformatics.ca/gmeow/examples/languages/> .
@prefix rdfs:  <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .

ex:dana a gmeow:Person ;
    gmeow:name           "Dana Reyes"@en ;
    gmeow:nativeLanguage gmeow:langEnglish ;
    gmeow:knowsLanguage  gmeow:langFrench .

Common Companion Terms

gmeow:knowsLanguage, gmeow:Agent, gmeow:Language

External Equivalences

Equivalent or closely aligned targets: wdt

Linkages

Generated from the canonical mapping DSL. SSSOM files are the generated public interchange form for term equivalences.

Term Equivalences