Dialects are varieties of a language that differ in systematic ways from each other but are mutually intelligible.
Questions tagged [dialects]
137 questions
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How are languages and dialects distinguished from one another?
Are there any cases where two varieties of the same language are treated as separate languages, or where two distinct languages are treated as varieties of the same language. If so, why?
blunders
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Is the taxonomy of Mongol dialects in Inner Mongolia changing?
Mongols are a tribal society: they form numerous tribes and clans. During feudalistic periods, there were political categorizations. During Qing rule, tribal units were used to define political units in some Mongol areas. There is of course a…
Dagvadorj
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Is there such a thing as a "neutral dialect"?
It seems every language (that I know, at least) has a dialect that it considers more "neutral" than others. Like General American, for instance.
To what extent are these dialects actually more neutral than others, and to what extent is it merely…
Dolda2000
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How do linguists differentiate a dialect from a language?
As in how do they decide "X is a separate language from Y, but Z is a dialect of Y." I know there is the old adage "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy", but surely there must be some semi-objective criteria linguists use to class…
Harry Anderson
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Standard representation of dialects across cultures?
If you expand the "Dialectal data" link here on the Chinese Wiktionary, you see like ~40+ what I'll call "varieties". They are grouped under 2 categories:
Variety (parent group, like Mandarin)
Location (child group, like Beijing)
Vietnamese is a…
Lance
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What to call a "dialect" that forms in a certain setting?
What do you call the language-variation that a group of people speak with each other in a certain setting?
It's a language variety that adheres to all the rules and framework of the original language, and can be classified by certain idiosyncrasies…
minseong
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