regionalisms
Area-specific speech patterns
Regionalisms are words, phrases, or expressions characteristic of a particular geographic area.
Every region develops its own vocabulary—*soda* versus *pop* versus *coke*, *you all* versus *y'all* versus *youse*.
The term also covers regional pronunciations and grammatical patterns.
Linguists study regionalisms to map dialect boundaries and trace migration patterns.
Regional language variety
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- colloquialismCasual conversational expression
- localismPreference for nearby things
- provincialismNarrow regional mindset
idiom · patois · slang · argot · accent · pronunciation · vocabulary · lexicon
Colloquial traditional sayings
- proverbsTraditional wisdom capsules
- sayingsTraditional pithy expressions
- local customsPlace-specific social norms
- traditional phrasesInherited linguistic formulas
heritage · identity · community · belonging · authenticity · nostalgia · homeland · roots
Eastern U.S. mountain region
- ScotsPeople of Edinburgh's nation
- CajunLouisiana's French descendants
- TexanSouthwest state resident
- New EnglandNortheast U.S. region
Yorkshire · Aussie · Newfoundland · Geordie · Brummie · Boston · Brooklyn · Chicano
Written proof or instructions
- recordingCaptured audio or video
- archivingStoring for long-term keeping
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
- dyingCeasing to live
revitalization · lexicography · fieldwork · oral history · linguistic atlas · survey · mapping · glossary
dialect
Regional language variety
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- colloquialismCasual conversational expression
- localismPreference for nearby things
provincialism · idiom · patois · slang · argot · accent · pronunciation · vocabulary · lexicon · usage
folk expressions
Colloquial traditional sayings
- proverbsTraditional wisdom capsules
- sayingsTraditional pithy expressions
- local customsPlace-specific social norms
traditional phrases · heritage · identity · community · belonging · authenticity · nostalgia · homeland · roots · ancestry
Appalachian
Eastern U.S. mountain region
New England · Yorkshire · Aussie · Newfoundland · Geordie · Brummie · Boston · Brooklyn · Chicano · Indian English
documentation
Written proof or instructions
- recordingCaptured audio or video
- archivingStoring for long-term keeping
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
dying · revitalization · lexicography · fieldwork · oral history · linguistic atlas · survey · mapping · glossary · dictionary
- dialectvernacular, localisms, rural dialect, patois, provincialisms
- dialectslocal dialect, patois, vernaculars, vernacular, dialect atlas
- dialectologydialectology, dialect atlas, linguistic atlas, fieldwork, Neapolitan
- speechspeech, speaking, talk, diction, conversation
- accentsBritish accent, Australian accent, New England accent, New York accent, Boston accent
- slangslang, jargon, lingo, argot, cant
regionalismsstandard language
Codified, official linguistic form
formal language · official language · Queen's English · BBC English