Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

koine

 

Newly formed compromise language that usually arises from a leveling of features distinguishing dialects of a common base language, or of features distinguishing several closely related languages. The new language is hence deregionalized and does not reflect social or political dominance of any one group of speakers. The classical example of a koine (as well as the source of the term) is Hellenistic Greek, which developed from Attic Greek through replacement of the most distinctively Attic features by features of Ionic or other dialects. A koine may serve as a lingua franca and often forms the basis of a new standard language.

For more information on koine, visit Britannica.com.

Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
 
 
Related topics:
Koine (dialect of Greek)
Katharevusa (puristic)
dialects

Related answers:
Is the strong\'s exhaustive concordance based on koine greek? Read answer...

Help us answer these:
What is the word member in koine Greek?
How many words are in the koine greek language?
Is koine the dialect of greek spoken in the NT?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Copyright © 1993, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more

Follow us
Facebook Twitter
YouTube