dialect
noun
Derivatives
adjective
Origin:
mid 16th century (denoting the art of investigating the truth of opinions): from French dialecte, or via Latin from Greek dialektos 'discourse, way of speaking', from dialegesthai 'converse with' (see dialogue)
Grammar
A version of a language spoken in a particular geographical area or by a particular group of people. The English spoken in Georgia is different from that spoken by natives of Massachusetts. Not only do speakers in these two areas have a different accent, they also use a number of different words. Different dialects also use slightly different grammar, too. For example, in the US South, people may say “you-all” or “you'all” in preference to “you” or “all of you.” Such regional expressions are not ‘wrong,’ they simply differ from standard english. They are sometime described as ‘nonstandard’.