dialect

noun, often attributive

di·a·lect | \ ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt

Definition of dialect

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 advertising— Philip 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

e : register sense 4c

f : a version of a computer programming language

2 : manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology

Other Words from dialect Synonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing dialect Learn More About dialect

Other Words from dialect

dialectal \ ˌdī-ə-ˈlek-tᵊl

\ adjective

dialectally \ ˌdī-ə-ˈlek-tə-lē

\ 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 King perfected her character's voice — a squeaky, babyish tone that mirrored that of the real-life Gypsy Rose, and alluded to the childlike state in which she'd been frozen by her mother — on her own, without a dialect coach. — Dianna Mazzone, Allure, 29 July 2022 No one is on the same page stylistically; scene partners barely connect with each other; there is no trace of any unifying dialect. — Christian Lewis, Variety, 29 Apr. 2022 In truth, the series went to great lengths to employ experts and consultants from a variety of different fields, including cultural expert Troy Williams, Claudina Teller from the Paiute nation, Courtney Young, a dialect specialist, and many others. — Lindsay Hansen Park, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 Her tombstone was inscribed in Syriac, an Aramaic dialect. — Jen Pinkowski, Scientific American, 15 June 2022 Singer, who has also worked on Mulan, The Survivor and Cabinet of Curiosities, was serving as the dialect coach while Carmichael (Pacific Rim: Uprising) was there visiting the set. — Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 June 2022 LaVoy, who directs the production with outgoing Theater J artistic director Adam Immerwahr, inhabits an array of shifting personas through some dexterous dialect work and Pamela Rodríguez-Montero’s savvy costume tweaks. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 21 June 2022 No number of italics or apostrophes can substitute the richness of listening to stories told in the regional dialect and original voice of the storyteller. — Santi Elijah Holley, Washington Post, 23 May 2022 Another issue raised by Darany and others is which type or dialect of Arabic will be used. — Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 1 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dialect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.