DIALECT Definition & Meaning

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dialect

[ dahy-uh-lekt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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: ,
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

/ ˈ�岹ɪəˌ��ɛ�� /

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

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Derived Forms

ˌ�徱��ˈ��𳦳ٲ��, adjective

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��ܲ�·�徱a·��𳦳� noun

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of dialect¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin dialectus, from Greek �徱á��ٴǲ� “discourse, language, dialect,” equivalent to �徱��é��(��ٳ󲹾�) “to converse” ( dia- “through, between” + ��é��𾱲� “to speak”) + -tos verbal adjective suffix; dia-

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of dialect¹

C16: from Latin dialectus, from Greek dialektos speech, dialect, discourse, from dialegesthai to converse, from legein to talk, speak

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Synonym Study

See language.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Fair warning: It sounds a lot like English, but the language takes on an entirely new meaning in developers’ native dialect.

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“Severance” takes corporate dialect beyond the practice of concise, emotionally neutral workplace communication — office jargon’s alleged purpose — into an alternate universe.

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The inventory will also include its unique dialect, bush medicine, games, crafts, architecture and boat-building techniques.

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"Iranians were here. They all fled," one of them says, speaking in his mother tongue, a dialect of Turkish.

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The last thing I’d like to say about it is that there’s been a lot of confusion about the dialect, and I think there was confusion about where we used it in the film.

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