lingua franca
Shared communication medium
A lingua franca is a language used for communication between people who don't share a native tongue.
Originally referring to a pidgin used around the Mediterranean, the term now applies to any bridge language: English serves as the lingua franca of international business.
Mandarin functions as a lingua franca across China's many dialect regions.
The phrase also extends metaphorically to any shared system of communication: Mathematics is the lingua franca of science.
Improvised contact language
- creoleNativized pidgin tongue
- koineMerged common dialect
- simplifiedMade less complex
- hybridThing of mixed parentage
multilingualism · bilingualism · code-switching · borrowing · loanwords · vernacular · global English
Ancient Roman language
- GreekOf Athenian origin
- AramaicAncient Semitic language
- PersianOf or from Iran
- ArabicSemitic language family member
French · Portuguese · Sanskrit · Mediterranean · medieval · colonial · empire · Silk Road
Prescribed conduct rules
- negotiationDiscussion seeking mutual accord
- summitPeak or diplomatic gathering
- United NationsInternational governmental organization
- ambassadorOfficial foreign representative
envoy · mediation · accord · international relations · interpretation · translation · communiqué · foreign ministry
Invented auxiliary tongue
Open-air merchant district
- trading postsFrontier merchandise exchange stations
- MediterraneanSea between Europe, Africa, Asia
- maritimeOf the sea
- commerceExchange of goods, services
barter · marketplace · exchange · caravan routes · port cities · intermediary · mercantile · Swahili
pidgin
Improvised contact language
- creoleNativized pidgin tongue
- koineMerged common dialect
- simplifiedMade less complex
hybrid · multilingualism · bilingualism · code-switching · borrowing · loanwords · vernacular · global English
Latin
Ancient Roman language
Arabic · French · Portuguese · Sanskrit · Mediterranean · medieval · colonial · empire · Silk Road · ancient world
protocol
Prescribed conduct rules
- negotiationDiscussion seeking mutual accord
- summitPeak or diplomatic gathering
- United NationsInternational governmental organization
ambassador · envoy · mediation · accord · international relations · interpretation · translation · communiqué · foreign ministry · multilateral
Esperanto
Invented auxiliary tongue
bazaar
Open-air merchant district
- trading postsFrontier merchandise exchange stations
- MediterraneanSea between Europe, Africa, Asia
- maritimeOf the sea
commerce · barter · marketplace · exchange · caravan routes · port cities · intermediary · mercantile · Swahili · Malay
- languageword, words, grammar, spelling, alphabet
- Language phenomenaloanwords, borrowings, pidgins, creoles, dialects
- Multilingualismbilingualism, code-switching, polyglot, mother tongue, native tongue
- cultural exchangecultural exchange, cross-cultural, student exchange, intercultural, exchange program
- English worldwideBritish English, dialect, accent, ESL, EFL
- language adaptationborrowing, loanwords, code switching, pidgin, creole
lingua francamother tongue
Language acquired from birth
native language · first language · home language · native tongue · heritage language
lingua francalocal dialect
Region-specific speech variety
regional dialect · patois · minority language · endangered language · tribal language
lingua francaTower of Babel
Origin of linguistic diversity
language barrier · Babel · language isolate · pidgin · jargon
language, languages, linguist, bilingual, linguistic, linguistics, multilingual, trilingual, lingua