contact language

noun

: pidgin

Examples of contact language in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The creoles emerged from a first-contact language or pidgin resulting from the contact between the Portuguese colonizers and the slaves from the kingdom of Benin in Sao Tome. Uwagbale Edward-Ekpu, Quartz, 23 July 2021 That means the risk of a contact language disappearing is nearly double that for all languages. John Wenz, TheWeek, 20 Sep. 2020 And in Canada, some who identify as Métis — the descendants of First Nations people (primarily Cree) and French fur traders — are working to preserve Michif, a contact language that arose among the Métis that combines Cree and French. John Wenz, TheWeek, 20 Sep. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contact language.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of contact language was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near contact language

Cite this Entry

“Contact language.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contact%20language. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

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