native

When used as an adjective to describe a person's language skills, "native" usually appears in the phrase "native speaker." This refers to someone who learned the language from early childhood. In some historical or colonial contexts, using "native" as a noun to refer to people can sometimes be perceived as insensitive or outdated. It is often safer and more polite to use terms like "indigenous people" or "local residents" depending on the situation. When describing plants or animals, "native to" is the standard prepositional pattern (e.g., "The plant is native to Africa").