contact language

English

Noun

contact language (plural contact languages)

1. (linguistics) A language that influences another, especially because it is understood by a relevant portion of the speech community.

   The main contact languages providing Western words in Arabic today are English and French.

2. (linguistics) A pidgin language.

See also

• lingua franca
• pidgin
• creole
• vehicular, vehicular language

References

• “contact language”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• language contact