lingua franca

(noun)

A common language used by people of diverse backgrounds to communicate with one another, often a basic form of speech with simplified grammar.

Related Terms

(noun)

A language or dialect systematically used to make communication possible between people who do not share a native language or dialect.

Related Terms

Examples of lingua franca in the following topics:

  • The Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars

    • Old Bulgarian became the lingua franca of much of Eastern Europe and it came to be known as Old Church Slavonic.

  • Alexander's Empire

    • Koine spread throughout the Hellenistic world, becoming the lingua franca of Hellenistic lands and eventually the ancestor of modern Greek.

  • The Printing Revolution

    • Across Europe, the increasing cultural self-awareness of its peoples led to the rise of proto-nationalism, accelerated by the flowering of the European vernacular languages to the detriment of Latin's status as lingua franca.

  • The Yoruba States

    • Oyo's imperial success made Yoruba a lingua franca almost to the shores of the Volta.