Is there a single word for someone who is a "native English speaker" (or more generally, for native speaker of language X)?
There are single words for people having given nationality (like Englishman), believing in given religion (like Christian), so why shouldn't there be a single word for describing such important phenomena as being native speaker of some language?
Best Answer
Xophone (Anglophone, Francophone, &c.) is used by people who require such things; but these terms are not in ordinary parlance. It appears that even the most anxious Nativists don't use it: a search of U.S.English.org, which bills itself as "the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States" doesn't yield a single hit on Anglophone.
We employ the adjective "English-speaking", and if pushed we'll call ourselves "English speakers"; but the fact is rather taken for granted than proclaimed as a point of pride. No doubt it's a sign of Anglophonic arrogance, but "being a native speaker of" English doesn't seem to need a label, at least to those who might bear it.