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lingua franca

noun [C usually singular]
 
 
/ˌlɪŋ.ɡwəˈfræŋ.kə/

Definition

a language used for communication between groups of people who speak different languages but not between members of the same group: The international business community sees English as a lingua franca.Forms of languages and specialist dialects
(Definition of lingua franca noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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