koine
Shared trade tongue
Koine is a common language or dialect that emerges when speakers of related varieties need to communicate—a linguistic middle ground.
The word comes from Greek, where Koine Greek was the shared tongue across the eastern Mediterranean after Alexander's conquests.
Any regional dialect that becomes a standard for wider communication can be called a koine: Swahili developed as a koine among East African trading communities.
Ancient Egyptian writing material
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
- philologyStudy of historical texts
- inscriptionText permanently marked
- epigraphyStudy of ancient inscriptions
paleography · documentary · ancient texts · decipherment · attestation · corpus · archives · fragments
Regional language variety
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- lingua francaShared tongue between peoples
- standardizationImplementing uniform technical specifications
- atticSpace beneath the roof
demotic · phonology · morphology · syntax · grammar · vocabulary · pronunciation · simplification
Sacred religious writings
- gospelSacred choral tradition
- testamentWritten proof or legacy
- apostlesZealous promoters of causes
- epistleFormal literary letter
papyrus · manuscript · codex · parchment · translation · vulgate · canon · evangelists
Domain under unified control
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
- diffusionPassive molecular spreading
- spreadTo distribute widely
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
urbanization · cultural exchange · greek world · common language
Exchange of goods, services
- merchantOne who sells wares
- marketplaceVenue for commerce
- portsShip berths or device jacks
- communicationExchanging ideas or information
exchange · shipping · contracts · transactions · mercantile · trading posts · economic · business language
papyri
Ancient Egyptian writing material
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
- philologyStudy of historical texts
- inscriptionText permanently marked
epigraphy · paleography · documentary · ancient texts · decipherment · attestation · corpus · archives · fragments · scrolls
dialect
Regional language variety
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- lingua francaShared tongue between peoples
- standardizationImplementing uniform technical specifications
attic · demotic · phonology · morphology · syntax · grammar · vocabulary · pronunciation · simplification · spoken
scripture
Sacred religious writings
epistle · papyrus · manuscript · codex · parchment · translation · vulgate · canon · evangelists · parable
empire
Domain under unified control
cosmopolitan · urbanization · cultural exchange · greek world · common language
commerce
Exchange of goods, services
- merchantOne who sells wares
- marketplaceVenue for commerce
- portsShip berths or device jacks
communication · exchange · shipping · contracts · transactions · mercantile · trading posts · economic · business language · maritime
koinenative tongue
Language acquired from infancy
mother tongue · vernacular · first language · heritage language · ancestral language
koinedialect
Regional language variety
local dialect · regional dialect · patois · idiolect · sociolect