We all hope for a future populated by humane, supportive technologies. Creating that world requires us to acknowledge the way people actually express themselves and understand others. Yet today, many speech tech companies define “natural language” in a way that drains it of its social and collaborative qualities. In this talk, we'll present some of the implied definitions of natural language that have guided tech companies for decades. Then, using research from the fields of linguistics, psycholinguistics. and sociology, we'll redefine the phrase in a more accurate way that can steer the industry toward a more promising, human-friendly future.