dialect

[dahy-uh-lekt]

noun

1. Linguistics.,  a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially.

2. a provincial, rural, or socially distinct variety of a language that differs from the standard language, especially when considered as substandard.

   Synonyms: patois, idiom

3. a special variety of a language.

   The literary dialect is usually taken as the standard language.

4. a language considered as one of a group that have a common ancestor.

   Persian, Latin, and English are Indo-European dialects.

5. jargon or cant.

dialect

/ ˈdaɪəˌlɛkt /

noun

1. 1. a form of a language spoken in a particular geographical area or by members of a particular social class or occupational group, distinguished by its vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation

   2. a form of a language that is considered inferior

      the farmer spoke dialect and was despised by the merchants

   3. ( as modifier )

      a dialect word

Other Word Forms

• dialectal adjective
• subdialect noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dialect¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin dialectus, from Greek diálektos “discourse, language, dialect,” equivalent to dialég(esthai) “to converse” ( dia- “through, between” + légein “to speak”) + -tos verbal adjective suffix; dia-

Word History and Origins

Origin of dialect¹

C16: from Latin dialectus, from Greek dialektos speech, dialect, discourse, from dialegesthai to converse, from legein to talk, speak

Synonym Study

See language.

Example Sentences

Because she had grown up speaking French, Arabic, and her parents' Sicilian dialect, her accent was seen as unacceptable, and her voice was dubbed by other Italian actors.

From BBC

He was a cultural icon in Assam, singing in more than 40 languages and dialects in a career spanning 33 years.

From BBC

Each carried its own dialect, each one another lesson.

From Salon

Jones also had to swap her British accent out for a thick, distinctive Delco accent, as the dialect spoken by those from Delaware County is affectionately called.

From Los Angeles Times

She has to know the city, its peoples, dialects, and languages.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accent 
• idiom 
• jargon 
• language 
• lingo 
• patois 
• pronunciation 
• slang 
• terminology 
• tongue 
• vernacular 
• vocabulary