LINGUA FRANCA • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Lingua franca

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/lˈɪŋgwə frˈæŋkə/ Listen

noun

Lingua Franca n.

The commercial language of the Levant, a mixture of the languages of the people of the region and of foreign traders.

Any hybrid or other language used over a wide area as a common or commercial tongue among peoples of different speech.

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Etymology of 'Lingua franca'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Lingua franca" Quotes from Famous Books

... manner in which large enterprises forced themselves upon the Brissago council, that it was not until the end of the first year of their administration and then only with extreme reluctance that they would take up the manifest need for a lingua franca for the world. They seem to have given little attention to the various theoretical universal languages which were proposed to them. They wished to give as little trouble to hasty and simple people as possible, and the world-wide alstribution of English gave them a bias for it from the beginning. ...

— The World Set Free • Herbert George Wells

... (yesterday) we came in. Zeyneb has been very good ever since she has been with us, she will soon be a complete 'dragowoman,' for she is learning Arabic from Omar and English from us fast. In Janet's house she only heard a sort of 'lingua franca' of Greek, Italian, Nubian and English. She asked me 'How piccolo bint?' (How's the little girl?) a fine specimen of Alexandrian. Ross is here, and will dine with me to-night before starting by an express train which ...

— Letters from Egypt • Lucie Duff Gordon