What is the Difference Between First, Second and Foreign Language

There are 3 kinds of language learnt by people in the world. They are first, second, and foreign language. What are the difference?

What is first language?

First language means a language that is learn by a child from his/her mother. We often call it mother tongue. He/she learns what his/her mother teaches him/her. Example, if a child is born in Java, the mother tend to interact in Javanese. If the mother speaks English from early child, we can say that his/her first language is English. So it depends on the language a child has been learnt from a very early age. 

What is second language?

Second language is a language that is learnt by a child after he/she gets his/her first language. A child who's born in Java tends to speak Javanese for the first time. After going to school, he/she learns Bahasa Indonesia. The Bahasa Indonesia is called second language. The second language is not only used during the school class but also used in daily life.

What is foreign language?

Foreign language is a new language that is learnt by people. The new language is learnt only in formal education, but it's not used in the daily life. Example, Indonesian people learn English only in the school, but in their daily life, they never use it.