2 Using a lingua franca

People have been on the move throughout history. In the process, they have encountered other people from different cultures who speak different languages. In order to work with them, to trade with them and, in some cases, to govern them, a language was needed that both sides could communicate in. From repeated encounters between peoples, new forms of language emerged. This course looks at the languages which developed and grew at the meeting points between cultures and peoples.

In this section you look at the history and meanings of the term lingua franca and discover how the use of English as a lingua franca is perceived by native and non-native English speakers working together on an international project.