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.

When the British arrived in 1788, we are told, the continent was home to “more than 250 language groups and over 500 dialects, each with its own unique culture, language, and kinship structure.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The distinct Bavarian dialect spoken in Munich certainly does not help in that regard.

From BBC

A gifted linguist, she soon mastered Mayan dialects.

From Los Angeles Times

Higher Brothers, known for blending Mandarin and the local dialect, is one of the main hip-hop groups originating from the city.

From Barron's

Translation isn’t useful if it works well in a handful of standard global languages but fails among dialects, accents and real-world contexts.

From The Wall Street Journal

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