Mediterranean Lingua Franca: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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[[Hugo Schuchardt]] (1842–1927) was the first scholar to investigate the Lingua Franca systematically. According to the [[monogenetic theory of the origin of pidgins]] that he developed, Lingua Franca was known by Mediterranean sailors including the Portuguese. When the [[Portuguese discoveries|Portuguese started exploring]] the seas of Africa, America, Asia and Oceania, they tried to communicate with the natives by mixing a [[Portuguese language|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 the "broken Portuguese". A process of [[relexification]] caused the Lingua Franca and Portuguese [[lexicon]] to be substituted by the languages of the peoples in contact.

The theory is one way of explaining the similarities between most of the European-based pidgins and [[creole language]]s, such as [[Tok Pisin]], [[Papiamento]], [[Sranan Tongo]], [[Krio language|Krio]] and [[Chinese Pidgin English]]. Those languages use forms similar to or derived from ''sabir'' for 'to know' and ''[[Pickaninny#Pidgin languages|piquenho]]'' for "children".{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Lingua Franca left traces in present Algerian slang and [[Polari]]. There are traces even in geographical names, such as [[Cape Guardafui]], which literally means "Cape Look and Escape" in Lingua Franca and ancient Italian.