| dialect |
| Definition:
(1) A form of speech that is peculiar to a region or to a specific group of speakers. (2) A subordinate version of a language that has non-standard pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary. |
| Example: Standard American English, Standard British English, and Standard Indian English are all standard dialects of the English language. |
| Etymology: The word derives via Middle French from the Latin dialectus, local language or way of speaking; ultimately it derives from the Greek dialegesthai, converse with each other (from dia, between + legein, speak). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation is from 1579: "Neither … must … the common Dialect and manner of speaking [be] so corrupted thereby, that [etc.]." (E. K. Ded. to Spenser's Sheph. Cal.) |