Talk:Koiné language

"Common Speech" / Westron / J. R. R. Tolkien
A note on the "Common Speech" Westron in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien might not be out of place here, as it's many people's introduction to this concept. -- Writtenonsand (talk) 18:13, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Standard?
I don't see why standard is relevant to a koine. If there's no sound objection, I'll remove it in a week or so. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mnewmanqc (talk • contribs) 13:04, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Timeframe?
Is there any notion of a timeframe for the adoption of the Koine language? There is not a single date reference in this entire article... You can tell that someone without a historical background or perspective, contributed to this article... I think some date references should be added. I know there is a fair amount of research on this topic out there in book and article form. Shouldn't linguists care about chronology and time perspectives? How else do you develop a context? Best Stevenmitchell (talk) 17:43, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Old English?
Wouldn't Old English be a notable example, as a hybrid of older Germanic languages? Just curious. Grant |  Talk  15:40, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

Basque
As far as I know, Standard Basque (Euskara Batua) is a planned language devised by scholars, and therefore it's not a Koiné language proper. Jotamar (talk) 18:04, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Can somebody tell me if a planned language like Euskara Batua counts as Koiné language? Jotamar (talk) 14:33, 7 June 2012 (UTC)
 * By now I find it obvious that it is not a koiné. The source uses the word koiné in a rather loose, non-technical way. --Jotamar (talk) 18:13, 19 June 2017 (UTC)

What a koiné is not
The list of koiné languages/dialects has been inflated with varieties for which a definition as koiné is dubious to say the least. A koiné is clearly not a language that absorbs words and influences from other (not mutually intelligible) languages, but even if it gets influenced by other (mutually intelligible) dialects it's still not a koiné. With the list in this page as it stands now one could easily conclude that all languages in the world are koinés. I think the list should include only specific varieties that have been authoritatively described as such, for example Fiji Hindi or Quebec French.

A particularly serious case is London English. Out of 3 refs for its entry, the two that are accessible online don't mention koiné or levelling at all. I'm sure that modern London English is a diverse language with lots of influences from different languages and cultures, just as all languages spoken in large cities for that matter, however that doesn't make it a koiné.

Please tell us your thoughts about this question. --Jotamar (talk) 23:31, 22 January 2021 (UTC)
 * More than 2 years and a half have gone by, with no reply. It's time to trim the page. --Jotamar (talk) 00:32, 6 October 2023 (UTC)

Koiné needs a more concise definition
If anybody is going to decide what is a koiné and what is not, there needs to be more clear criteria of how to make a distinction. What qualifies as "authoritively described as [a koiné]?" Why is it that Fiji Hindi or French Quebec are such, but not Standard Chinese? — Preceding unsigned comment added by GodenDaeg (talk • contribs) 04:24, 30 January 2021 (UTC) --Jotamar (talk) 00:06, 31 January 2021 (UTC)
 * From the lead in this page: "While similar to zonal constructed languages Koiné languages arise naturally rather than being constructed."

Prouniciation
Would it be appropriate to add the prounciation of "koiné" at the start of this article? SeriousGuy888 (talk) 03:53, 1 July 2022 (UTC)


 * More appropriate than at the end! —Tamfang (talk) 04:56, 19 October 2023 (UTC)

"Ausgleichssprache" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ausgleichssprache&redirect=no Ausgleichssprache] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. NotAGenious (talk) 12:35, 25 October 2023 (UTC)