dialects
Local language versions
Dialects are varieties of a language distinguished by vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation that are associated with particular regions or social groups.
Everyone speaks a dialect, though people often use the term to describe speech patterns different from their own or from a perceived standard.
The Appalachian dialect preserves some features of older English.
Linguists distinguish dialects from accents, which involve only pronunciation differences, though the terms are often used interchangeably in casual speech.
Everyday regional speech
- patoisRegional informal speech
- creoleNativized pidgin tongue
- pidginImprovised contact language
- argotGroup-specific coded speech
cant · sociolect · idiolect · slang · colloquialisms · lingo · nonstandard · informal
Manner of speaking words
- intonationPitch variation in speech
- inflectionWord form alteration
- cadenceRhythmic pulse or pattern
- liltRhythmic speech quality
twang · drawl · brogue · articulation · stress · pitch · tone · prosody
Language of one's ancestors
- mother tongueLanguage acquired from birth
- native speakerOne who grew up speaking it
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
- multilingualismMultiple language proficiency
Science of language structure
- sociolinguisticsStudy of language variation
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
- syntaxRules for arranging words
lexicon · semantics · pragmatics · fieldwork · transcription · corpus · documentation
Narrow regional mindset
- localismPreference for nearby things
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
- BavarianOf a German state
- CantoneseSouthern Chinese dialect
vernacular
Everyday regional speech
argot · cant · sociolect · idiolect · slang · colloquialisms · lingo · nonstandard · informal · koine
pronunciation
Manner of speaking words
- intonationPitch variation in speech
- inflectionWord form alteration
- cadenceRhythmic pulse or pattern
lilt · twang · drawl · brogue · articulation · stress · pitch · tone · prosody · phonetics
heritage language
Language of one's ancestors
- mother tongueLanguage acquired from birth
- native speakerOne who grew up speaking it
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
multilingualism · group identity · language preservation · standard language
linguistics
Science of language structure
- sociolinguisticsStudy of language variation
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
syntax · lexicon · semantics · pragmatics · fieldwork · transcription · corpus · documentation
provincialism
Narrow regional mindset
- localismPreference for nearby things
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
- BavarianOf a German state
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- linguisticslinguistics, phoneme, phonemes, morpheme, morphemes
- culturemusic taste, beliefs, food preferences, custom, festivals
- Language & Wordstranslation, etymology, grammar, vocabulary, phonetics
- cultural elementstraditions, heritage, customs, ritual, religions
- English languagelinguistics, semantics, phonetics, orthography, vocabulary
dialectsstandard language
Codified, official linguistic form
standard · official language · national language · Queen's English · High German
dialectslanguage
System of symbolic communication
universal language · world language · proto-language · lingua franca · language family
- regional dialectsGeographically distinct speech varieties
- language dialectsRegional speech varieties
- local dialectRegion-specific speech variety
- southern dialectSpeech from lower regions
- Scottish dialectRegional British speech variety
- dialect coachTrains speakers in accents
dialect, dialectic, dialectal, dialectical, dialectics, dialectology