tonguage

English

Etymology

From tongue +‎ -age modelled after language; or a blend of tongue +‎ language.

Noun

tonguage (uncountable)

1. Any activity involving the tongue; tonguing.
2. (nonstandard, rare) Language; spoken language, as opposed to other forms of language (body language, written language, etc.).
   • 1890, Samuel Butler, Essays on Life, Art, and Science:

     Whether the ideas underlying them are expressed and conveyed by eyeage or by tonguage is a detail that matters nothing.

   • 1956, Edward Elgar, Percy Marshall Young, Letters of Edward Elgar and other writings:

     I like the French now but can't get on with the Italian tonguage (good word).

   • 1961, India. Office of the Registrar General, Census of India, 1961: Maharashtra:

     In all the districts of Maharashtra except Aurangabad and Bhandara, the number of persons who returned Hindi as a subsidiary language outnumber those with Hindi as mother tonguage.

   • 1973, Howard Paul Becker, Man in reciprocity:

     We have a language of social relations, even though we're not thoroughly aware of it— but it isn't all "language" in the sense of "tonguage."