Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 18
J
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
J
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 18
Would anyone know a general term for any language that is used by speakers of different languages to communicate with each other? (It is somehow related to the word "frank".) Thanks for any help.


Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
You're thinking of a lingua franca. English is often used as a lingua franca today, as when the Austrian lady in my office uses English to talk to the Indonesians.

A pidgin language is different in that with a pidgin the two sides evolve their own ad hoc way of communicating using elements from both their languages (imagine the situation where slaves in the Americas from different areas had to communicate with each other).

A creole is different again. When people from different groups evolve a pidgin language and pass it on to their children as a native language, then it becomes a creole.

Bingley


Bingley

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 444 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5