lingua
1
8.2
- noun
- /ˈlɪŋɡwə/
:
lengua
- English is the lingua franca of the programming world.
- lingua franca
- English as a lingua
We would say we want Lingua Latina.
- We would say we want Lingua Latina.
Examples
-
In many European countries, English serves as a vital lingua franca for tourists and locals alike.
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English has become the modern lingua franca, and communication is possible no matter where we are.
Academic text (2010) -
Today, English is the lingua franca of the planet for everything from air traffic control to entertainment.
Academic text (2004) -
African music, jazz and rock has become the lingua franca of Western music in America and Europe.
-
Everywhere I go around the earth, people speak English because that's the lingua franca of science, technology, business.
-
For some Indians, initially the school lingua franca was not English; a great variety of tribal languages were (and some still are) in use.
Academic text (1999) -
Almost everyone is fluent in Pijin English, the lingua franca of the Solomon Islands.
Academic text (1994) -
Film music is the musical lingua franca that most nonresident Indians (NRIs) in the U.S., Britain, and many other countries share.
Academic text (2006) -
English is often regarded as the lingua franca for international business negotiations.
-
When people from different countries meet, they often use English as their lingua franca to communicate.
Synonyms
797
1.0
A system of communication used by a group or country with words and grammar
108
4.4
A spoken or written language used by a group of people
1
6.4
A language people use to talk when they speak different first languages
A language used by people with different first languages to talk to each other
Compounds
- Specialized
A fern from East Asia with long tongue-shaped leaves often grown as a houseplant
- Specialized
A plant that grows in wetlands with long pointed leaves and yellow buttercup flowers
How Widely Used
Surface Forms
Etymology
Lingua also came to mean 'a language' because people often used 'tongue' to mean the way someone speaks. That's why lingua appears in the phrase lingua franca for a common language people use to talk to each other.