What does foreign language mean?

Answer 1

A foreign language is a language that is not often used in a country. When most universities talk about "foreign language," they mean a language other than the main one spoken in your home, or other than the main language that most of your subjects were taught in when you went to school.

To be considered a foreign language, the language has to be a language used by humans - so it can't be a computer language like C++ or Java. But if you're a native English speaker, it could be Spanish, or French, or Russian, or Mandarin, etc. Or yes, often, it can be ASL.

If your actual question is whether or not ASL is considered to be a "foreign language" for the purposes of college admissions; or if ASL would fulfill your foreign language requirement at university, then the answer to that is often "Yes." If you're a native English speaker, for example, ASL could serve as your "foreign language." But that does vary by university, so you'll have to ask each one directly.

Answer 2

any language used in a country other than one's own; a language that is studied mostly for cultural insight or a language spoken abroad