<html>
At 10:04 AM 4/27/2001 -0500, Robert Wachal wrote: <br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>The 'franca' in the expression probably refers
to a Germanic language and not to French. </blockquote><br>
<br>
<font size=4>When the term was coined, I think the Arabs
referred to populations north of the Mediterranean as the Franks. The
term literally meant 'language of the Franks'. I have no idea what
correlation it has with the fact that the French had also been
"colonized" by the Frankish Germans.<br>
<br>
Sali.<br>
</font><br>
<font color="#800000">**********************************************************<br>
Salikoko S.
Mufwene
</font><font color="#800080">s-mufwene@uchicago.edu<br>
</font><font color="#800000">University of
Chicago
</font><font color="#800080">773-702-8531; FAX 773-834-0924<br>
</font><font color="#800000">Department of Linguistics<br>
1010 East 59th Street<br>
Chicago, IL 60637<br>
</font><font color="#000000"><a href="http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html" eudora="autourl">http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html</a><br>
</font><font color="#800000">**********************************************************<br>
</font></html>