2006-10-09 06:15:23 · 14 answers · asked by sylvdoanx 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
"Accent" is NOT a technical linguistic term. It is a common word used semi-synonymously for "dialect" or "variety". Dialect is a technical linguistic term used for a regionally-defined variety of a language. Dialects are defined by the pronounciation and grammar differences between them. Vocabulary differences are a minor part of differentiating dialects of the same language. People who speak dialects of the same language can still understand one another. The people who are defining "accent" as pronounciation and "dialect" as vocabulary are wrong. "Accent" is used by non-linguists to say they can tell a difference between two regionally defined speech varieties.
2006-10-09 08:34:47 · answer #1 · answered by Taivo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your accent is the way in which you pronounce something, your dialect is they style of your language. For example, American Samoans speak a dialect of English--some words are totally exclusive to their area that the averatge English speaker would not understand. An example of accent might be someone from Texas with a country accent vs. someone from New York City with an East Coast accent. The same language is spoken with a different pronounciation.
2006-10-09 13:24:50 · answer #2 · answered by dani_smile 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
an accent just refers to the way words are pronounced. Like you can have a Brooklyn accent or a British accent.
Dialect is a local form of a language. For Example, Italian. there is the school taught Italian, then there are various dialects throughout the country. The dialects often have words that have entered into them from other languages. An example is the Italian word for "tomorrow", which is domani. Many dialects say rumani, but certain small towns say "cra". No connection. But if you realize that there used to be Arabs living there and the Arabic word for tomorrow is "bukra", you understand its genesis
2006-10-09 13:23:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Accent is just different pronunciation. Dialect means that there are significant differences in vocabulary and other aspects of the language too. People can still understand each other even though they have different accents or dialects though.
It is also political -- China says they have lots of dialects rather than languages, even though people who speak only Cantonese or Mandarin can't understand each other. But the Chinese are able to say that there is ONE China as evidenced by the fact that we all speak the same language.
2006-10-09 13:18:58 · answer #4 · answered by Love Shepherd 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
an accent is the sound or way a certain word is said. I live in California and It would be like I might say the word BAR. But someone from the east coast may drop the "r" and it sound more like "Bah"
A dialect would be a different version of a language. Where someone would use a different word or emphasis than someone else. Here in the US, I would say "apartment" but someone from England would call it a "flat". Or I would say "elevator" and the British would call it a "lift" In Chinese there is Mandarin and Cantenese.
2006-10-09 13:27:19 · answer #5 · answered by 1loopyferretpsycho 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
A dialect is almost a different language based on the original, where as accent is just the different way you say a word which might sound different but is exactly the same as the original language. For example in cockney (ie. accent) lovely is pronounced loverly.
2006-10-09 13:45:06 · answer #6 · answered by queen_clarisse 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
My take: is that an accent is a way of pronouncing words, but not usually a difference in the words themselves, or the order they are used in a sentence.
A dialect may have differences in the pronunciation of words, but may also have different vocabulary, some changes in grammar (such as using different words for 'you' and 'you all' ('tu' and 'vosotros') in Castillian Spanish as opposed to Central American Spanish). Those differences aren't enough to say it's a different language, but the differences are often enough to make it hard to understand or read a different dialect.
2006-10-09 14:56:00 · answer #7 · answered by Polymath 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
dialect is a modification of a language that is spoken in a certain region of the country. it's neither normative nor literary language. it usually has the vocabulary that differs considerably from that of the literary language.but it's spoken on a daily basis. it often occurs that people who don't know the dialect can not understand it even if they are of the same nation. in italian literary trousers are "pantaloni" and in the veneto dialect of italian they are called "braghe". if you don't know the meaning of the second word - you won't guess it.
accent is the way of pronounciation. the language stays the same. it's only the sounds that change. the british say "thirty" without [r] whilst the american say the sound. you'll understand the word in either case.
2006-10-09 16:13:02 · answer #8 · answered by svirelka 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ok , let's say the word : Car .
The way you pronounce it is accent .
The meaning is dialect .
2006-10-09 16:20:22 · answer #9 · answered by citizen high 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
dialect is a different version of the language- sounds similar. accent is the pronounciation of the the language...
2006-10-09 13:17:40 · answer #10 · answered by jeremy t 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋