Hanyu
What's the difference between 'a native English speaker', 'an English native speaker' and ... ? What's the differences between 'a native English speaker', 'an English native speaker' and 'a native speaker of English'? I think 'a native English speaker' is equivalent to 'a native speaker of English', while an English native speaker means they are an English people.
Dec 1, 2015 4:40 AM
Answers · 2
1
Your assumptions are correct: "a native English speaker" - "English speaker" is a compound noun and stays together in this case and native is the adjective describing "English speaker." "a native speaker of English" - The proposition "of" maintains the relationship between the words speaker and English and, again, "native" is the adjective again. "an English native speaker" - This word order indicates that "English" is an adjective in addition to "native" and would be assumed that you are trying to describe "speaker's" nationality. I don't think most people would ever phrase it that way, but this shows that word order is important and it can sometimes alter the meaning.
December 1, 2015
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