lingua franca

[ frang-kuh ]

noun

, plural lingua francas, lin·guae fran·cae [ling, -gwee , fran, -see].

1. any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
2. (initial capital letter) the Italian-Provençal jargon (with elements of Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish) formerly widely used in eastern Mediterranean ports.

Lingua Franca

¹

noun

1. a particular lingua franca spoken from the time of the Crusades to the 18th century in the ports of the Mediterranean, based on Italian, Spanish, French, Arabic, Greek, and Turkish

lingua franca

²

/ ˈlɪŋɡwə ˈfræŋkə /

noun

1. a language used for communication among people of different mother tongues
2. a hybrid language containing elements from several different languages used in this way
3. any system of communication providing mutual understanding

Word History and Origins

Origin of lingua franca¹

1670–80; < Italian: literally, Frankish tongue

Word History and Origins

Origin of lingua franca¹

C17: Italian, literally: Frankish tongue

Example Sentences

Even in Ghana, where the lingua franca is English, knowing how to use smartphones and apps can be a challenge for newcomers.

From Seattle Times

He spoke Yiddish — the Hasidic lingua franca — and lived in a Hasidic neighborhood.

From New York Times

She is supposed to be a loud-mouthed troll, which is the lingua franca of the movement, but also to remember that her role as a woman is to be accommodating, submissive and placating to men.

From Salon

It has become the lingua franca of many local Indigenous groups, all with distinctly different language histories.

From Scientific American

Today I live in Taiwan, where Mandarin Chinese is the lingua franca, and fixtures of the California accent have attached itself to my Chinese.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accent
• dialect
• expression
• jargon
• prose
• sound
• speech
• style
• terminology
• vocabulary
• voice
• word
• wording