Knowing Multiple Languages

The Key to Opening the Doors to a World of Peace

11/8/2025
by Chiara Ganugi

The idea that communication is essential for the political stability of a country and for peaceful coexistence among nations is not a modern awareness. Back in the 4th century BCE, Alexander the Great understood that in order to maintain order in his territories, it was necessary to create a shared linguistic code. For this reason, he created the Greek koiné, the common language that accompanied and made possible the expansion of the Hellenistic world and the longest-lasting period of peace ever recorded in the ancient world.

The Koiné: The Linguistic Project of a Multicultural Empire

When Alexander the Great found himself ruling an immense empire, it became clear that no administrative apparatus could function without a form of communication accessible and recognized by different populations. From this need, the koiné (κοινὴ διάλεκτος), literally “common language,” took shape. It was an evolution of the ancient Attic-Ionic Greek and is considered the third major stage in the linguistic history of Greek.

Its value was not only linguistic: it represented a true political and cultural instrument, capable of creating cohesion and facilitating the functioning of a territory that stretched from Egypt to northern India. The koiné functioned, in effect, as a cultural infrastructure, a shared system that enabled economic, intellectual, and artistic exchanges. Its presence fostered the circulation of art and literature, promoting the cultural unity of the Macedonian Empire.

A Curiosity: The Koiné as a Model of a Common Language in Italy

The concept of koiné was not confined to the era of Alexander the Great and the Greek language. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the term was also adopted by Italian grammarians and writers, who used “koiné” to refer to a hypothetical common Italian language derived from various dialects. Others, such as Machiavelli or Leonardo Salviati, overturned this interpretation, arguing that Tuscan itself played the role of an original koiné from which the other vernaculars of the peninsula had developed.

This reflection reveals how the need for a shared language recurs in politically fragmented societies, as was the Macedonian Empire and, on a smaller scale, Italy until 1861. A common language is perceived as a tool of order, identity, and effective communication.

Koiné: From Linguistic Concept to Cultural Metaphor

Over time, the term has expanded to indicate any form of shared language among different communities, whether dominant or emerging with respect to local variants. Today, “koiné” may include not only literary or administrative language but also everyday spoken language and even some slang phenomena. The central idea remains unchanged: a koiné is, above all, a common communicative space.

Why Communication Remains a Prerequisite for Peace

The experience of the koiné clearly shows that peace is not only a matter of political agreements or the absence of war, but also the ability to create mutual understanding. A shared language, or at least the ability to interpret someone else’s, reduces friction, fosters cooperation, and allows ideas to circulate.

Today, in a world increasingly marked by linguistic and cultural plurality coexisting within the same territories, the lesson of the koiné resonates once again: communication is not just a technical tool, but a genuine instrument of peace. Where a common language takes shape, the possibilities for dialogue, negotiation, and peaceful coexistence increase.

The history of the Greek koiné therefore reminds us that speaking someone else’s language brings us closer to them both culturally and politically. Dialogue, approaching others and perceiving their culture, habits, and language as closer, is one of the oldest and most powerful forms of building peace. It is the key that can open the doors to the world we wish to create.

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