Nearby Words
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. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Dialect
is always a great word to know.
So is hierarchy. Does it mean:
| the system of levels according to which a language is organized, as phonemic, morphemic, syntactic, or semantic |
| one of the alternate contextually determined phonological shapes of a morpheme; ox, oxen |
Example Sentences
- Some say that the distinction is one of mutual intelligibility: dialects are mutually understandable, languages are not.
- Harris's stories are told in the Gullah dialect, often thought difficult by modern readers.
- Culturally speaking, Mexico seems like a convoluted quilt of languages, dialects and customs.
Collins
World English Dictionary
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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