lingua franca
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Italian lingua franca
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
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Plural |
lingua franca (plural lingua francas or lingue franche or linguas franca) see usage notes
- a language used by people of diverse speech to communicate with one another, often a basic form of speech with simplified grammar.
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] Usage notes
On the plural form: This phrase, being originally Italian, would have as its original plural lingue franche, which is rare but attested in English. The pedantic English plural would be linguas franca, as lingua (“‘language’”) is the head noun; similar words that pluralize on this pattern are sons-in-law and attorneys general. The most common plural in English, however, appears to be lingua francas. There is also a form linguae francae which adopts a Latinate reading of the term; this form is suggested in dictionaries alongside lingua francas, but also appears to be rare in English.
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Italian
[edit] Noun
lingua franca
- The Mediterranean Lingua Franca, a common language spoken in Mediterranean ports in centuries past (consisting of Italian mixed with French, Spanish, Arabic and some Greek words and used by sailors of different countries to communicate with one another).
