dialect

American

[dahy-uh-lekt] / ˈdaɪ əˌlɛkt /

noun

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

Synonyms:

patois, idiom
a special variety of a language.

The literary dialect is usually taken as the standard language.
a language considered as one of a group that have a common ancestor.

Persian, Latin, and English are Indo-European dialects.
jargon or cant.

dialect British

/ ˈdaɪəˌlɛkt /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See language.

Other Word Forms

dialectal adjective
subdialect noun

Etymology

Origin of dialect

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-

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In preparation to play the prodigal twins in “Sinners,” Jordan told The Times that he trained with dialect coach Beth McGuire, who also worked on Coogler’s “Black Panther” and its sequel, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

From Los Angeles Times

And Brit Award winner Rosalía sings in 14 dialects on her latest album, Lux.

From BBC

Until the mid-19th century, Liverpudlians were described as speaking similarly to their Lancastrian neighbours, until different accents and dialects began mixing as the docks area grew.

From BBC

Most young readers today would find “The Yearling” too long, too leisurely and too clogged with dialect, but a few might still feel as I did when I read it more than 60 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal

She said her captors were all masked and spoke in the Syrian Arabic dialect.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023