different between dialect vs variation

English

Etymology

From Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectos, dialectus, from Ancient Greek ????????? (diálektos, “conversation, the language of a country or a place or a nation, the local idiom which derives from a dominant language”), from ?????????? (dialégomai, “I participate in a dialogue”), from ??? (diá, “inter, through”) + ???? (lég?, “I speak”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?da?.??l?kt/

Noun

dialect (plural dialects)

1. (linguistics) A variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular area, community, or social group, differing from other varieties of the same language in relatively minor ways as regards grammar, phonology, and lexicon.

   Hyponyms: sociolect, ethnolect, regiolect, geolect
2. (derogatory) Language that is perceived as substandard or wrong.
3. (colloquial) A language existing only in an oral or non-standardized form, especially a language spoken in a developing country or an isolated region.

   Synonym: vernacular

4. (colloquial) A lect (often a regional or minority language) as part of a group or family of languages, especially if they are viewed as a single language, or if contrasted with a standardized idiom that is considered the 'true' form of the language (for example, Cantonese as contrasted with Mandarin Chinese, or Bavarian as contrasted with Standard German).

   Synonyms: vernacular, (often derogatory) patois

5. (computing, programming) A variant of a non-standardized programming language.

6. (ornithology) A variant form of the vocalizations of a bird species restricted to a certain area or population.

Usage notes

• In some linguistic traditions, the term "dialect" is restricted to nonstandard lects. In scholarly English usage, it refers to both standardized and vernacular forms of language.
• The difference between a language and a dialect is not always clear, and often has more to do with political boundaries than with linguistic differences. It is generally considered that people who speak different dialects of the same language can understand each other, while people who speak different languages cannot, however, in some cases, people who speak different dialects of the same language are mutually unintelligible. Compare species in the biological sense.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Meronyms

• idiolect

See also

• dialogue

References

Further reading

• "dialect" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 105.
• Crystal, David (2008) , “dialect”, in A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 6 edition, Blackwell Publishing, ?ISBN
• Fodde Melis, Luisanna; (2002) Race, Ethnicity and Dialects: Language Policy and Ethnic Minorities in the United States, FrancoAngeli, ?ISBN

Anagrams

• citadel, dactile, deltaic, edictal, lactide

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectos, dialectus, from Ancient Greek ????????? (diálektos, “conversation, the language of a country or a place or a nation, the local idiom which derives from a dominant language”), from ?????????? (dialégomai, “I participate in a dialogue”), from ??? (diá, “inter, through”) + ???? (lég?, “I speak”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?dija??l?kt/
• Hyphenation: di?a?lect
• Rhymes: -?kt

Noun

dialect n (plural dialecten, diminutive dialectje n)

1. (linguistics) dialect (language variety)
2. non-standard dialect; vernacular

   Synonyms: streektaal, mondaard

Derived terms

• dialectgroep

Descendants

• Afrikaans: dialek
• ? Indonesian: dialek

Anagrams

• citadel

Romanian

Etymology

From French dialecte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.a?lekt/

Noun

dialect n (plural dialecte)

1. (linguistics) language socially subordinate to a regional or national standard language, often historically cognate to the standard, but not a variety of it or in any other sense derived from it
2. (colloquial) dialect

Declension

Derived terms

• subdialect

See also

• idiom, grai, limbaj, limb?

English

Etymology

From Middle French variation, from Old French variacion, from Latin vari?ti?.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?v?????e??n?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?v???i?e??n?/, /?væ?i?e??n?/, /?v??i?e??n?/
• , (Mary–marry–merry distinction)
• Hyphenation: va?ri?a?tion

Noun

variation (usually uncountable, plural variations)

1. The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.
2. A related but distinct thing.
3. (nautical) The angular difference at the vessel between the direction of true north and magnetic north.

   Synonym: magnetic declination

4. (board games) A line of play that differs from the original.
5. (music) A technique where material is repeated with alterations to the melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, counterpoint or orchestration; but with some invariant characteristic, e.g. a ground bass.
6. (genetics) The modification of a hereditary trait.
7. (astronomy) Deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body.

Derived terms

• magnetic variation
• theme and variations

Related terms

• vary
• variant

Translations

References

• US FM 55-501 MARINE CREWMAN’S HANDBOOK; 1 December 1999
• variation in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• variation in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vari?ti?. See also véraison.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.?ja.sj??/

Noun

variation f (plural variations)

1. variation

Derived terms

• boîte de vitesses à variation continue

Related terms

• varier

Further reading

• “variation” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Swedish

Etymology

From French variation, attested from 1656.

Noun

variation c

1. variation

Declension

Related terms

• variant
• variera

References