Meaning of link language | Babel Free

Definitions

A common language linking various people groups or ethnicities, where the adopted language is not a native language of any of the speakers using it; a lingua franca.

Equivalents

Examples

“[...] 'Adoption of [a second] language [in our case Latin] . . . generally leads to changes in the adopted link⟳ language, or even in the native language of the speaker, and thus can have⟳ profound effects on linguistic change⟳.'”

“A term that covers all of this range is link⟳ language. Link⟳ languages and related phenomena are of interest⟳ to students of language change⟳ because they often require⟳ the adoption of another language, generally a second, but perhaps even a third.”

“On the basis of past and present⟳, we can foresee⟳ a very bright English in India as link⟳ language, a window on the modern world and a library language.”

“The provision of recognising English as a link⟳ language was made available in the 1978 Constitution by the 13th Amendment which was brought in to effect in 1987 with the expectation that English would function as a force⟳ that could unify the two main ethnic groups in the country.”

CEFR level