dialect
Use Dialect in a sentence
əˌlɛkt 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.
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To dialect
00:10
Dialect
is always a great word to know.
So is contrast. Does it mean:
| the thing or concept denoted by a sign |
| to differ in a way that can serve to distinguish meanings: The sounds (p) and (b) contrast in the words ?pin? and ?bin? |
Collins
World English Dictionary
dialect (ˈdaɪəˌlɛkt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| a. 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 | |
| b. a form of a language that is considered inferior: the farmer spoke dialect and was despised by the merchants | |
| c. (as modifier): a dialect word | |
| [C16: from Latin dialectus, from Greek dialektos speech, dialect, discourse, from dialegesthai to converse, from legein to talk, speak] | |
| dia'lectal | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
dialect
1577, from M.Fr. dialecte, from L. dialectus "local language, way of speaking, conversation," from Gk. dialektos, from dialegesthai "converse with each other," from dia- "across, between" + legein "speak" (see lecture).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Calling a tongue a dialect implies that it is derived from and subordinated to a more formal language.
As students will notice at once, dialect and local color play no clear part in the humor of this story.
Using Spanish colloquialisms and slang, this debut author pulls off the tricky task of dialect in a manner that feels authentic.
It's a matter of sitting down with a great dialect coach and learning little by little.
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