dialects
From WikiWord, the free dictionary
/ˈdaɪ.əˌlɛkts/
English
Definitions
noun
- A variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular area, community or social group, differing from other varieties of the same language in relatively minor ways as regards grammar, phonology, and lexicon.
- Language that is perceived as substandard or wrong.
- A language existing only in an oral or non-standardized form, especially a language spoken in a developing country or an isolated region.
- A lect (often a regional or minority language) as part of a group or family of languages, especially if they are viewed as a single language, or if contrasted with a standardized idiom that is considered the 'true' form of the language (for example, Cantonese as contrasted with Mandarin Chinese, or Bavarian as contrasted with Standard German).
Related words
Synonyms
patoisvernacularaccentidiomlanguagesargotlingocantjargonparlancetonguespeechsociolectlecttopolectsublanguage