{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.native-speaker","code":"thing-q924130","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q924130/","name":"native speaker","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.PER"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A native speaker of a language is a person who acquired it through ordinary social interaction in early childhood, although the category's boundaries and its relationship to proficiency and identity are contested.","purpose":"Enable an agent to describe and assess a person's native-speaker relationship to a particular language or variety without confusing acquisition history, current proficiency, identity or institutional eligibility.","scope":{"in":["The person-language or person-variety relationship to which native-speaker status refers","Early acquisition environments, timing and continuity of exposure","Multiple native languages and changes in language dominance","Current abilities and use, recorded separately from acquisition status","Self-identification, external attribution and context-specific definitions","Evidence and decision limits when native-speaker status is used"],"out":["The person's complete biography, nationality, ethnicity or citizenship","The grammar, history and classification of the language itself","Complete proficiency assessment instruments and scoring systems","Teaching, translation or interpreting occupations and their qualifications","Employment policies, legal eligibility rules and discrimination adjudication","Clinical diagnosis of language, speech or hearing conditions"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["The designation concerns a person in relation to a specified language or variety; it is not a freestanding property that applies equally to all languages the person uses.","Early acquisition history is relevant to the designation; a high proficiency score alone does not establish that history.","Nationality, ancestry, residence and accent alone do not establish native-speaker status.","A person may have more than one native language, and the strongest current language need not be the earliest acquired.","Native-speaker status does not by itself establish literacy, specialist vocabulary, teaching competence or translation qualifications."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"language-relationship","name":"Language relationship","description":"Identifies whose relationship to which language is being described and what native means in context.","layers":[{"id":"language-and-variety","name":"Language and variety","description":"Locates the designation at the appropriate language or variety boundary.","findings":[{"id":"target-of-designation","name":"Target of designation","description":"Record the language or variety named in the designation, including signed languages and unresolved naming boundaries.","questions":[{"text":"Which spoken or signed language, and which variety if relevant, does the native-speaker designation concern?","id":"target-of-designation-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Does the evidence concern this variety specifically, or only a broader language label?","id":"target-of-designation-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"operative-definition","name":"Operative definition","description":"Makes the meaning of native-speaker status explicit for the setting.","findings":[{"id":"classification-criteria","name":"Classification criteria","description":"Record whether the designation rests on early acquisition, identity, community recognition or an institution's stated criteria.","questions":[{"text":"What definition of native speaker is being applied in this setting?","id":"classification-criteria-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Who supplied that definition, and where is it documented?","id":"classification-criteria-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Would another relevant definition classify the same history differently?","id":"classification-criteria-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"early-language-acquisition","name":"Early language acquisition","description":"Captures the timing and interactional settings through which the language entered the person's life.","layers":[{"id":"onset-and-interaction","name":"Onset and interaction","description":"Records when sustained exposure began and what participation it involved.","findings":[{"id":"early-acquisition-history","name":"Early acquisition history","description":"Record approximate onset, interlocutors and opportunities for understanding and producing the language, allowing incomplete recall.","questions":[{"text":"At what age or during which developmental period did sustained interaction in this language begin?","id":"early-acquisition-history-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"With whom and in which settings did the person understand, speak or sign the language?","id":"early-acquisition-history-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Was exposure interactive, primarily receptive or too poorly documented to distinguish?","id":"early-acquisition-history-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"multilingual-development","name":"Multilingual development","description":"Represents overlapping acquisition histories and interruptions.","findings":[{"id":"acquisition-sequence-and-continuity","name":"Acquisition sequence and continuity","description":"Record other languages acquired during childhood and periods that substantially changed access or use.","questions":[{"text":"Which languages were acquired concurrently or sequentially during childhood?","id":"acquisition-sequence-and-continuity-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"When did household, schooling or community changes interrupt or expand use of this language?","id":"acquisition-sequence-and-continuity-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Does the stated definition allow more than one native language for this history?","id":"acquisition-sequence-and-continuity-q03","kind":"definition"}]}]}]},{"id":"present-language-repertoire","name":"Present language repertoire","description":"Separates current abilities and patterns of use from early acquisition.","layers":[{"id":"abilities-by-activity","name":"Abilities by activity","description":"Describes what the person can currently do in the target language.","findings":[{"id":"uneven-ability-profile","name":"Uneven ability profile","description":"Record comprehension, production, interaction and applicable literacy separately, with register and assessment context.","questions":[{"text":"What current evidence describes comprehension, production and interaction in the target language?","id":"uneven-ability-profile-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which literacy, formal-register or specialist abilities have been assessed separately?","id":"uneven-ability-profile-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which abilities remain unknown despite the native-speaker designation?","id":"uneven-ability-profile-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"use-and-dominance","name":"Use and dominance","description":"Tracks present language use and changes relative to other languages.","findings":[{"id":"current-language-position","name":"Current language position","description":"Record where the language is used now and whether its accessibility or relative dominance has changed.","questions":[{"text":"In which household, social, educational or work settings is the language currently used?","id":"current-language-position-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Has another language become more frequently used or more accessible, and on what evidence?","id":"current-language-position-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What reassessment is needed before relying on older ability evidence?","id":"current-language-position-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"identity-and-attribution","name":"Identity and attribution","description":"Distinguishes a person's own language identification from labels assigned by others.","layers":[{"id":"self-description","name":"Self-description","description":"Preserves the person's own terminology and its intended meaning.","findings":[{"id":"language-self-identification","name":"Language self-identification","description":"Record whether and how the person uses native language, first language, mother tongue or another term without automatically equating them.","questions":[{"text":"How does the person describe their relationship to this language?","id":"language-self-identification-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Does their chosen term refer to acquisition, family affiliation, belonging, strongest language or a combination?","id":"language-self-identification-q02","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"external-designation","name":"External designation","description":"Records classifications made by communities, researchers or institutions.","findings":[{"id":"attribution-and-disagreement","name":"Attribution and disagreement","description":"Attach each external designation to its author, criteria and context, retaining conflicts with self-description.","questions":[{"text":"Who assigns or disputes native-speaker status, and what evidence or criteria do they cite?","id":"attribution-and-disagreement-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the attribution based on language history or on proxies such as accent, nationality or ancestry?","id":"attribution-and-disagreement-q02","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"How should conflicting designations remain visible without silently selecting one as definitive?","id":"attribution-and-disagreement-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-permitted-inference","name":"Evidence and permitted inference","description":"Connects documented language history to defensible assessments and task decisions.","layers":[{"id":"history-evidence","name":"History evidence","description":"Qualifies the evidence supporting acquisition and status claims.","findings":[{"id":"claim-support-and-gaps","name":"Claim support and gaps","description":"Distinguish self-report, family recollection, records and assessment results according to the particular claims they can support.","questions":[{"text":"Which source supports each claim about acquisition timing, exposure and continuity?","id":"claim-support-and-gaps-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which details are approximate, contradictory or unavailable?","id":"claim-support-and-gaps-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Does an assessment demonstrate present ability while leaving acquisition history unresolved?","id":"claim-support-and-gaps-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"task-specific-use","name":"Task-specific use","description":"Limits operational conclusions to evidence relevant to the proposed activity.","findings":[{"id":"decision-relevance","name":"Decision relevance","description":"Determine whether a task requires early acquisition history, present language ability, community knowledge or a separate professional qualification.","questions":[{"text":"What property does the proposed task actually require, and why is native-speaker status relevant to it?","id":"decision-relevance-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"What direct ability evidence or professional qualification is needed before assigning the task?","id":"decision-relevance-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"Would using this designation incorrectly imply expertise across varieties, registers or all members of a language community?","id":"decision-relevance-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-confidence-notes","name":"Check these first","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these check these first hold for the sense of native speaker this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-confidence-notes-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of native speaker this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of native speaker this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of native speaker this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of native speaker this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of native speaker this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of native speaker this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe the concept of native speaker and debates about it from linguistic sources.","Record a user's own statement of their first languages when they choose to share it."],"mustNot":["Label a person a native or non-native speaker from their accent or name.","Use native-speaker status to screen people out of jobs or housing.","Treat a native speaker as an authority on every question about their language.","Mock accents or ways of speaking."],"requiresHuman":["Using language background in any decision about a person."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Job adverts demanding native speakers can exclude qualified people and hide discrimination by origin.","Language is tied to identity; labels can erase multilingual people."],"affectedParties":["Language learners","Migrants and multilingual people","Language teachers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: it is a description of people, not an owned thing.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q16657634","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q2324479","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.native-speaker","Wikidata: Q924130 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q924130)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Target language or variety: Reference to a named spoken or signed language or variety; unresolved boundaries recorded explicitly","Acquisition onset: Age or age interval in years or months, with uncertainty; unknown permitted","Early acquisition environment: Household interaction, community interaction, early education, other, mixed or unknown","Acquisition trajectory: Single-language early acquisition, simultaneous multilingual acquisition, sequential acquisition, unresolved","Exposure continuity: Continuous, intermittent, substantially interrupted, resumed or unknown, with relevant periods","Current ability profile: Dated observations or assessments by comprehension, production, interaction and literacy where applicable","Current language dominance: Relative strength or use among the person's languages, qualified by domain and date; unknown permitted","Status attribution: Person or institution asserting the designation, their definition, context and date","Status resolution: Supported under a stated definition, self-reported only, disputed, unresolved or not applicable under that definition"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Record a qualified native-speaker designation for a specified language or variety.","Compare an acquisition history with an explicitly stated definition and identify missing evidence.","Represent multiple native languages and changes in dominance without overwriting earlier history.","Identify which current abilities require direct assessment for a proposed task.","Flag unsupported inferences from accent, nationality, ancestry or native-speaker status.","Preserve conflicting self-descriptions and institutional classifications with their provenance."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["The label can be used as a proxy for discrimination by nationality or ethnicity.","Assuming native intuition is always correct can mislead research."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["The term native speaker is used in linguistics, language education and descriptions of personal language history.","It can describe early language acquisition, but does not by itself establish current proficiency, literacy or teaching ability.","Careful use distinguishes acquisition history from identity and any separately defined institutional eligibility criteria."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q924130: native speaker","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q924130","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Native speaker","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_speaker","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Which definition of native speaker should govern this registry entry, and how should competing scholarly and community definitions be represented?","How should early receptive bilingualism, interrupted childhood acquisition and later reclamation affect classification under the chosen definition?","Which distinctions among native language, first language, mother tongue and heritage language are necessary across the communities using this model?","How should the model accommodate signed-language acquisition histories, including delayed access to an accessible first language?","What minimum evidence is appropriate for each intended use, and when should the model leave status unresolved?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q924130/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q924130/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T11:32:27Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"not-applicable","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"not-applicable","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:33+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties.","interaction.interfaces":"No universal official classification or standard establishes native-speaker status across languages and institutions.","interaction.recognition":"Native-speaker status concerns language acquisition history and cannot be established from visual appearance."},"score":1.0}}