 The term lingua franca describes the usage of one specific language by speakers of different mother tongues in order to communicate with one another. Generally, a lingua franca is a third language distinct from either interlocutor's native language. Hence, one can describe a lingua franca as a working language, a bridge language or a vehicular language. The term originates from the name of a particular pigeon, mostly composed of Italian, spoken around the Mediterranean for reasons of commerce and diplomacy, during the Renaissance era. The term lingua franca means Frankish language. Frankish derives from a term used to describe all Europeans before the Crusades. Now the term lingua franca is generically used to refer to any vehicular language. During the Middle Ages, Arabic became a lingua franca of the Islamic world, spreading throughout Central Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa in order to facilitate the expansion of science, diplomacy and written records. Latin and Chinese also served as languages of a global communication. Presently, however, English is considered to be the lingua franca of the modern world. English is spoken in all internationalized sectors such as in economy and business, science, technology, politics, diplomacy, tourism, mass media and popular culture.