How do YOU define "dialect"?

Question

I already have textbook definitions and definitions from language specialists. I'm interested in how people define it without those resources.

I would like to thank those of you supplying YOUR OWN IDEAS of defining this. The point here is to get an idea of how people define this in their own every day terminology. If you are a linguist or dialectician, thanks for your time, but I already have the morbidly verbose versions of how to define this.

Answer 1

a form of language not recognized as standard

Answer 2

For me, a dialect is the particular way how a group speaks a language; it's a local variety within a language, that's common among a group but recognizably different from other dialects within the same language.

For example, Chileans from Santiago and Chiloé Island have a slightly different vocabulary, but their dialects are much closer to each other than to the dialects spoken in Buenos Aires, Ciudad de México or Madrid. Yet it's said that they all speak Spanish.

For me, the term "dialect" isn't quite difficult. Now, I find the term "language" (as in, a single language) to be a bit more difficult, mostly because of dialect continua.

A dialect continuum exists when there are many dialects in a large geographical area, in which the dialects that are close geographically are very similar to each other, and the difference between dialects increases as the geographical distance increases.

The canonical example are the western Romance languages:

Portuguese - Galician - Castilian Spanish - Catalonian - Occitan - Francoprovençal - French - Romansh - Friulian - Piedmontese - Venetian - Lombard - Sicilian - Italian - Sardinian

Answer 3

I would call a dialect as a form of a language with terms or uses for words that are different from the norm.
e.gs:
German for bike is Fahrrad
Swiss German for bike is Velo

Cockney for a bunch of pairs: "Some Tony Blairs"

It also include a different pronunciations of vowels or/and constinents or even where to accent words.

e.g. In Essex, "th" is pronounced "f" and the t is often dropped in the middle of the word
So "page 33" would be "page Fir'y free".

I remember watching an argument between two swiss youths, one from Basel and the other from Bern, on how to pronounce icecream in swiss german (Glace).
GLASS uh OR
glass EH.

Answer 4

Dialect is the different use of language pertaining to someones regional occupancy. For instance, those from the islands show speak English will use "slang" terms that non-island dwelling people may not understand....same in the deep south, far north and so forth. So basically I take dialect as being a regional pattern of language.....

Answer 5

Dialect is a complete system of verbal communication (oral or signed but not necessarily written) with its own vocabulary and/or grammar.

Dialect can be a variety of languages used by people from a particular geographic areas. The number of speakers, and the area itself, can be of arbitrary size. It follows that a dialect for a larger area can contain plenty of (sub-) dialects, which in turn can contain dialects of yet smaller areas, etc.

Answer 6

Dialect is the linguistic sound that in indigenous to a defined area. In the US, for instance, there is a "Southern dialect", a "New England dialect", a "Mid-Western dialect", etc. Each of them are the same basic language but the pronounciation, syntax, etc are unique to that area.

Answer 7

A dialect is speech which is different enough that if someone not from the area went there, he would be recognized as an outsider, but not different enough that he would be seen as a speaker of another language.

Someone who speaks a dialect gives away his place of origin to those outside of the area where it is spoken.

Answer 8

I'd say a regional way of speaking a language which incorporates some small differences but not enough to be it's own language.
I speak French but mostly quebecois. There are enough differences to make it a dialect.

Answer 9

I define it as a different "version" of the same language. Same alphabet, many words in common, but some different words, changes in grammar, things like that.

Answer 10

A dialect is the form of communication held by a particular group of humans.
For instance by me answering to your stupid question phrased in pseudo-intellectial prose, I am using my dialect.

Hope this helps!

Answer 11

A variant of a language that, while recognizable to speakers of the primary language it is derived from, contains significant phonological and/or morphological differences.