Koine Greek

As Greeks colonized from Asia Minor to Egypt to the Middle East, the Greek language began to evolve into multiple dialects. Alexander the Great (356 BC-323 BC) was instrumental in combining these dialects to form Κοινή /ci'ni/. (The Greek word for "common," Κοινή is often transliterated into English as koine. Koine Greek is also called "New Testament Greek" after its most famous work of literature).

Imposing a common Greek dialect allowed Alexander's combined army to communicate with itself. The language was also taught to the inhabitants of the regions that Alexander conquered, turning Greek into a world language.