lingua franca

lingua fran·ca

noun

pl. lin′gua fran′cas or lin′guae fran′cae

a hybrid language based on Italian, with Spanish, French, Greek, and Arabic elements, spoken, esp. formerly, in certain Mediterranean ports
1. a language used for communication between different peoples, as English in global commerce, or Swahili in C Africa
2. a hybrid language used for this purpose, as pidgin English
something that is like a common language

Origin of lingua franca

It, literally , Frankish language

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"lingua franca." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lingua-franca>.

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lingua franca. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lingua-franca

lingua franca

noun

pl. lingua fran·cas, also linguae fran·cae

A medium of communication between peoples of different languages.
A mixture of Italian with Provençal, French, Spanish, Arabic, Greek, and Turkish, formerly spoken on the eastern Mediterranean coast.

Origin of lingua franca

Italian lingua language franca Frankish (that is, European)

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"lingua franca." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lingua-franca>.

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lingua franca. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lingua-franca

Noun

(plural lingua francas)

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

Usage notes

The most common plural form in English is lingua francas; however, the plural forms lingue franche (following the Italian) and linguae francae (in the style of Latin) are both fairly common as well. Also attested, but quite rare, and probably nonstandard, is the form linguas franca (treating lingua alone as the noun and taking franca as an adjective; compare attorneys general, forests primeval).

Related terms

Mediterranean Lingua Franca
global language
international language

Origin

From Italian lingua franca (“Frankish language")

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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"lingua franca." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lingua-franca>.

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lingua franca. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lingua-franca

lingua franca - Computer Definition

It implies a common, or standard, language. The term is used in the information industry to refer to the most-widely used format, protocol or command language for a particular purpose. Its actual meaning is "Frankish language," which is spoken in various Mediterranean ports and is a combination of Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic and Turkish. Its original meaning also implies a hybrid or mixture of languages.

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MLA Style

"lingua franca." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lingua-franca>.

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lingua franca. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lingua-franca

lingua franca

lingua franca

lingua franca - Computer Definition

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WORDS NEAR lingua franca IN THE DICTIONARY

lingua franca

lingua franca

lingua franca - Computer Definition

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR lingua franca IN THE DICTIONARY

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