patois
Local group's tongue
A patois is a regional dialect or nonstandard language variety, especially one spoken by a particular social group or in a specific locality.
The term often carries connotations of informality or lower prestige compared to a standard language: The locals spoke a patois I couldn't follow.
In the Caribbean, patois commonly refers to Creole languages, particularly Jamaican Patois.
The word can also describe any specialized jargon or insider speech: the patois of software developers.
Of a Caribbean island
- HaitianOf a Caribbean republic
- LouisianaGulf Coast pelican state
- GullahSea Islands creole language
- CajunLouisiana's French descendants
Caribbean · Mauritian · plantation · colonial
Everyday regional speech
- regionalRelating to an area
- provincialRegional or narrow-minded
- nonstandardDeparting from established norms
- native tongueLanguage acquired from infancy
mother tongue · colloquial · informal · spoken · oral tradition · minority language · endangered · heritage language
Group-specific coded speech
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- cantSanctimonious insincerity
- lingoGroup-specific vocabulary
- street talkInformal urban vernacular
insider language · in-group · specialized vocabulary · thieves' cant · underworld · subculture · urban · underground
Language variety by group
- idiolectIndividual's unique speech patterns
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
- diglossiaCoexisting language varieties, distinct roles
- multilingualKnowing multiple languages
creolization · pidginization · substrate · register · dialectology
Jamaican
Of a Caribbean island
Cajun · Caribbean · Mauritian · plantation · colonial
vernacular
Everyday regional speech
- regionalRelating to an area
- provincialRegional or narrow-minded
- nonstandardDeparting from established norms
native tongue · mother tongue · colloquial · informal · spoken · oral tradition · minority language · endangered · heritage language · traditional
argot
Group-specific coded speech
street talk · insider language · in-group · specialized vocabulary · thieves' cant · underworld · subculture · urban · underground
sociolect
Language variety by group
- idiolectIndividual's unique speech patterns
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
- diglossiaCoexisting language varieties, distinct roles
multilingual · creolization · pidginization · substrate · register · dialectology
- dialectsregional dialect, local dialect, vernaculars, vernacular, regional dialects
- French dialectsQuebecois, Cajun French, Cajun, Norman, Picard
- dialectologydialectology, dialect atlas, linguistic atlas, regional dialects, fieldwork
- languagelanguage, word, words, grammar, spelling
- CaribbeanJamaica, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Haiti
- French Loanwordsa la carte, ballet, a la mode, au revoir, bon appetit
patoisstandard language
Codified, official linguistic form
standard · official language · Queen's English · High German · classical language
patoislingua franca
Shared tongue between peoples
universal language · world language · global English · Esperanto · trade language