Everything about Mediterranean Lingua Franca totally explained
The
Lingua franca of the Mediterranean or
Sabir ("know") was a
pidgin language used as a
Lingua franca in the
Mediterranean Basin from the 11th to the 19th century.
Based mostly on
Italian and
Provençal in the eastern Mediterranean, it later came to have more
Spanish and
Portuguese elements, especially on the
Barbary coast. It also borrowed from
French,
Greek and
Arabic. This mixed language was used for communication throughout the medieval and early modern
Middle East as a
commercial and diplomatic language.
It was also the language used between slaves of the
bagnio,
Barbary pirates and European
renegades in pre-colonial
Algiers.
The name "lingua franca" in Italian means "language of the
Franks" (in the sense of 'Roman Christians'). The generic description
"lingua franca" has since become common for any language used by speakers of different languages to communicate with one another.
Some samples of
Sabir have been preserved in
Molière's
comedy,
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.
Hugo Schuchardt was the first scholar to investigate the Lingua franca systematically.
According to the
monogenetic theory of the origin of pidgins he pioneered, Lingua Franca was known by Mediterranean sailors including the Portuguese. When Portuguese started exploring the seas of Africa, America, Asia and Oceania, they tried to communicate with the natives by mixing a
Portuguese-influenced version of Lingua Franca with the local languages. When English or French ships came to compete with the Portuguese, the crews tried to learn this "broken Portuguese". Through a process of
relexification, the Lingua Franca and Portuguese wordstock was substituted by the languages of the peoples in contact.
This theory explains the similarities between most of the European-based pidgins and
creole languages, like
Tok Pisin,
Papiamento,
Sranan Tongo,
Krio,
Chinese English Pidgin. These languages use forms similar to
sabir for "to know" and
piquenho for "children".
Lingua Franca left traces in today's
Algerian slang and
Polari. Polari from Italian
parlare ("to talk") was a
cant used by
Fairground Travellers/Showpeople,
London variety artists and
gay people.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mediterranean Lingua Franca'.
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