lingua franca

Borrowed from Italian lingua franca (literally “Frankish language”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪŋ.ɡwə ˈfɹæŋ.kə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

lingua franca (plural lingua francas or lingue franche or linguae francae or (rare) linguas franca) (see usage notes)

1. A common language used by people of diverse backgrounds to communicate with one another, often a basic form of speech with simplified grammar, particularly, one that is not the first language of any of its speakers.

   Synonyms: koine, link language, trade language, vehicular language

   Coordinate terms: vernacular; world language

   • 1988, Robert Jackall, “Chapter 1: Moral Probations, Old and New”, in Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers, Twentieth Anniversary edition, →ISBN, page 14:

     Taking these cues, I rewrote and rewrote the proposal couching my problem in the bland, euphemistic language that I was rapidly learning is the lingua franca of the corporate world.

   • 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Angara: Languages Codex entry:

     The language used by most angara across the Heleus Cluster is Shelesh, a lingua franca that was commonly used in the early days of angaran spaceflight before fading into obscurity. New connections between angaran settlements, and constant evolution of languages since their separation, means it has now seen a revival.

• 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, is the form linguas franca (treating lingua alone as the noun and taking franca as an adjective; compare attorneys general, forests primeval).

• Mediterranean Lingua Franca

Unadapted borrowing from Italian lingua franca.

• IPA^(key): [lɪŋɡva fraŋka]

lingua franca f

1. (historical) Mediterranean Lingua Franca (common language spoken in Mediterranean ports in centuries past)
2. (linguistics) lingua franca (common language)

• “lingua franca”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025
• “lingua franca”, in Nový encyklopedický slovník češtiny online (in Czech), 2012–2020

Unadapted borrowing from Italian lingua franca.

lingua franca

1. (linguistics) synonym of bahasa perantara

• “lingua franca” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Literally, “Frankish language.”

lingua franca f (invariable)

1. 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)

Unadapted borrowing from Italian lingua franca.

• IPA^(key): /ˈliŋ.ɡwa ˈfraŋ.ka/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]

lingua franca f (indeclinable)

1. (historical) Mediterranean Lingua Franca (common language spoken in Mediterranean ports in centuries past)
2. (linguistics) lingua franca (common language)

• lingua franca in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• lingua franca in PWN's encyclopedia