Lingua Franca

LINGUA FRANCA, a term used in different parts of the world of languages used over wide areas as secondary to the indigenous form of speech, thus enabling intercourse to be de veloped. English is frequently called the lingua franca of the whole world as, at one time, French was the lingua franca of diplomacy. English, in various degrees of distortion, is spoken all over the world, but in special areas are found examples of a lingua franca such as (1) the so-called Mandarin Chinese, (2) Malay, (3) Hindustani, and (4) Swahili.

Mandarin Chinese.

This language, properly kuan hua (literally "speech of officials"), is the lingua franca of the old Chinese empire and the modern republic, with the multiplicity of dialects of Chinese, some almost forming distinct languages. Mongols, Tibetans, Manchus, Koreans, Tungus peoples and others of different language stocks who were or are under Chinese gov ernance learned kuan hua, which is the simplified speech of North China, in order that they might transact business and conduct official enquiries in any part of China. (See CHINESE LANGUAGE.)

Malay.—This simple tongue from early times became "the commercial language of the East Indies." The simplest of the many tongues in Indonesia (q.v.), it spread until peoples of nearly 4o different nationalities speak it to the exclusion of their mother-tongue. (See MALAY LANGUAGE.) Hindustani.—A common name for the "popular" speech of North India. It is used by Bengalis, Gujaratis, Panjabis and many other peoples as a lingua franca. (See HINDOSTANI LANGUAGE.) Swahili important Bantu language has spread widely and is the lingua franca of Bantu Africa. (See BANTU LANGUAGES.) See 0. Jespersen, Language (1922) ; A. Meillet, Linguistique Histo rique et Linguistique Generale (1926) .