dialect

dialect — noun

1. A version of a language spoken in a particular area or by a certain group of peo

1.nounB1
Definition

A version of a language spoken in a particular area or by a certain group of people, with its own special words, grammar, and way of speaking that sets it apart from the standard form.

Example

Nikhil can understand the dialect of Bern, but standard German is hard for him.

contrast: dialect vs standard language

When Emily visits her grandparents in the countryside, they speak in a thick local dialect.

collocation: thick + dialect

Common collocations
  • local dialect
  • regional dialect
  • speak a dialect
  • thick dialect
  • strong dialect
  • broad dialect
  • rural dialect
  • preserve a dialect
  • dialect of [place]
Synonyms
  • variety

    broader term that includes dialects as well as other language forms

  • vernacular

    more formal; often contrasts with a literary or official language

  • patois

    used for local non-standard dialects, sometimes carrying lower prestige

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

speak + (a/the) + dialect + of + [place]

speak + in + dialect

Usage Note

Commonly used with the verbs speak, understand, and study. The preposition in appears frequently: He spoke in a thick rural dialect. The adjectives thick, strong, and broad describe a dialect that differs noticeably from the standard language.

Common Mistakes

He speaks dialect Chinese.
He speaks a Chinese dialect.
Use a or an before dialect to show it is one specific variety.
Dialect is a wrong way to speak.
A dialect is not a wrong version of a language
it has its own grammar and rules.' — Dialects are different language systems, not errors.

Word family

  • dialectal
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all these terms describe variations within a language, they differ in scope. Dialect refers to a full system of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation used in a region or by a group. Accent only involves pronunciation — two people may speak the same dialect but with different accents. Vernacular is a more formal term for the everyday language of ordinary people in an area, often contrasted with a literary or official language. Slang is informal vocabulary used by a particular group (e.g., teenagers) and is much narrower than a dialect — it does not have its own grammar. For example, someone speaking a Yorkshire dialect uses different grammar ('I were going') and unique words ('nowt' for 'nothing'), not just a different sound.

dialect ↗accent ↗vernacularslang ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • dialect speaker
  • dialect word
  • dialect area

Phrases

  • speak in dialect
  • written in dialect

Prepositions

  • in a dialect
  • dialect of [place/group]

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word dialect comes from Greek dialektos, meaning 'way of speaking' or 'local speech'. It passed into Latin and then through French before arriving in English in the 1500s.