dialect

noun

di·​a·​lect ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt How to pronounce dialect (audio)
often attributive
1
linguistics
a
: a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language
the Doric dialect of ancient Greek
a dialect of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong
b
: one of two or more cognate (see cognate entry 1 sense 3a) languages
French and Italian are Romance dialects
c
: a variety of a language used by the members of a group
such dialects as politics and advertisingPhilip Howard
d
: a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (such as social class)
spoke a rough peasant dialect
f
: a version of a computer programming language
2
: manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology
dialectal adjective
dialectally adverb

Examples of dialect in a Sentence

They speak a southern dialect of French. The author uses dialect in his writing. The play was hard to understand when the characters spoke in dialect.
Recent Examples on the Web Walking along the Lowcountry, Turner interviewed descendants of the enslaved, made careful notes about their dialect and songs, and took photos. Joshua Kagavi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Although the answer wasn’t Elvis Presley, his dream role would still require a dedicated dialect coach. Shania Russell, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2024 Props design, Amy Kellett; intimacy and fight direction, Jenny Male; dialect coach, Jenna Berk; production stage manager, Jenna Keefer. Missy Frederick, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 And not from Hong Kong, a territory that once produced over 300 movies a year in multiple Chinese dialects. Patrick Frater, Variety, 16 Feb. 2024 Obama raised awareness in the White House The term code-switching was coined in 1954 by sociolinguist Einar Haugen to describe how people mix languages or dialects. Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024 The popularity of specific dialects is often tied to regional history. Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2024 Clear On a remote island off the coast of Scotland, a lone tenant—insulated by distance and his own rare dialect from 19th century society—is preventing the landowner from turning the property over to more profitable uses. Chloe Schama, Vogue, 12 Jan. 2024 Born in rural Fujian, a coastal province in southern China, Mr. Wang grew up speaking Mandarin and a local Fujianese dialect. Amy Qin, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dialect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectus, from Greek dialektos conversation, dialect, from dialegesthai to converse — more at dialogue

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dialect was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near dialect

Cite this Entry

“Dialect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dialect

noun
di·​a·​lect ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt How to pronounce dialect (audio)
1
: a regional variety of a language differing from the standard language
2
: a variety of a language used by the members of a particular group or class
peasant dialect
dialectal adjective
dialectally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on dialect

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