What most people refer to as an accent, or how people in a particular region speak, is actually part of a larger umbrella term called “dialect.” Dialects reveal themselves in conversation, such as the English-speaking dialect called Southern American English. Southerners tend to extend their vowels with a drawl and often drop the “r” or “g” at the end of a word. Another example of a dialect is Argentinian Spanish, which sounds closer to Italian. It also uses the grammatical form of the Spanish word voseo, a regional pronoun variation that is not always employed in other parts of Latin America.
If that piques your interest, did you know that Rosetta Stone offers two different dialects from Latin America and Spain? Rosetta Stone is a great way to master Spanish without having to rely on rote memorization but rather immersion learning in a natural way.
What is a dialect?
As we mentioned, the word “dialect” refers to the way people of a specific region speak; this includes grammar, syntax, morphology, lexicon, and pronunciation. While a dialect is generally connected to a specific geographical area, it can also be linked to a class of people, an occupation, an ethnicity, or even a small area such as a neighborhood. In other words, it’s possible there is more than one dialect in any given region!
A dialect is considered a language variety, so dialects of the same language are thought to be mutually intelligible, that is, understood by all speakers of that language. Even so, some speakers of the same language may struggle somewhat to understand the dialect of others.
We’ll continue with the example of Southern American English (SAE) to see how it works as a dialect. To start with, the name clearly connects it to a specific geographical region: It’s the way most people from that area speak English. Let’s dive into some of the mechanical differences of the SAE dialect as we explore the question: what is a dialect?
How a dialect is determined
In terms of grammar, people who speak SAE often use the past particle to talk about an event in the past. For example, a Southerner might say “I seen her,” rather than the traditional past tense of “I saw her.”
There are dialect differences with the syntax too. Syntax refers to how words and phrases are organized in a sentence. It’s common to hear SAE speakers use the word “done” like a helping verb when talking about the past. Here’s how a Southerner might say it: “She done eat.” But traditional English rules would prefer “she has eaten,” which is the present perfect tense.
Going deeper into the mechanics, morphology dictates how words are formed. For instance, Southerners may not conjugate the verb “be” in a sentence like “Jim be going home.” Keep in mind that elements like grammar, syntax, and morphology may overlap a bit. Like many regional dialects, SAE has a distinct lexicon (vocabulary), so in this region you may hear the word “crawdads” rather than “crayfish.”
Finally, we can look at pronunciation or accent. We’ve already talked about the iconic vowel extension, otherwise known as the famous Southern drawl. But another distinguishing feature is the merging of some vowels. A common example for the Southern dialect is that an “e” sounds closer to “i.” One might say “pen” but it sounds more like “pin” to most English speakers.
Standard language versus dialects
It’s important to note that the word “dialect” is sometimes used in a derogatory fashion to talk about ways of speaking that do not follow standard language protocols. Familiar terms like “patois” or “creole” are words used to describe nonstandard dialects that came about centuries ago by lower classes or early inhabitants from Caribbean countries who lived in the Southern states. However, even Southern American English has been categorized as nonstandard though it’s spoken across the majority of sixteen states in the U.S.
Even today, standard language is constantly changing and being redefined. When referring to nonstandard language, “vernacular” may be a more familiar term. In all probability, most humans use some vernacular language. Despite previous hierarchical categorization of language, nonstandard dialects have come to be appreciated and valued over time.
Indeed, some novelists have captured the rich variety of dialects within a given city or town, sometimes to emphasize a point. In “Oliver Twist,” the famous Charles Dickens utilized the lower-class Cockney dialect to the thieving characters and the dialect of the educated class—both existed in nineteenth-century London. The book criticized the government regarding the inhumane treatment of the poor, so the juxtaposition of dialects served to emphasize that point.
Additionally, award-winning Maya Angelou used what is known as African-American Vernacular English in her well-known novel “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” to emphasize inequality in the early-twentieth-century Southern United States. Thus, Dickens and Angelou elevated nonstandard English to literary levels.
How is a dialect different from a language?
If accents fall under the category of dialects then dialects fall under the wider category of languages. Languages are systems that allow us to communicate in particular ways as structured by grammar and vocabulary. This communication can occur in oral form, written form, or signed form as expressed with the hands. Languages are generally kept alive by living humans and are subject to change due to time and place. With few exceptions, languages die out or morph into another language when there is no one left to speak them.
Dialects are different from languages because dialects are subcategories of any given language. In other words, they are slight variations of the same overall language particularly around things like pronunciation or word order. So while some may pronounce the word “aunt” like “ant,” others pronounce it like “AH-nt.”
The lyrics sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong song are a perfect example: “You like tomato [to-MAY-toe], and I like tomato [to-MAH-toe].” Those are two correct ways to pronounce the same word, and the usage depends on the dialect of the speaker. We can draw an analogy about language and dialect to this food that originated in Central America and comes from the Nahuatl word tomatl.
Tomatoes all belong to the same species, solanum lycopersicum, though tomatoes have many varieties. Some are tall and fat. Some are small and oblong. Some are tiny and sweet. These variations are due in part to the extended growth and evolution of the tomato throughout the world. Those physical characteristics partly depend on where the tomatoes come from and where they currently grow, but they are all tomatoes.
When it comes to languages and dialects, dialects could be like the different varieties of tomatoes, and languages are like the tomato plants. Each dialect tells us something about the origins since humans are social animals and tend to come together by place, class, or race. Naturally, those groups tend to speak in similar ways. They also tend to migrate together, so sometimes dialects get carried to new places like the Costa Rican languages. Yet even across distances, there can be language similarities. For example, Danish and Swedish are close enough that most speakers will understand each other for general conversation.
Are dialects and accents the same thing?
As we mentioned, dialects include accents, but dialects and accents are not the same thing. So while it’s true that most folks identify dialects by way of accents, dialects encompass all aspects of speaking, including accents and word choice. For clarity, when we refer to accents, we are talking about how words are pronounced, not the diacritics (marks) above a letter like “ü.” Accents have to do with the way words are pronounced.
Someone from the United States may instantly identify a British speaker due to their accent, but they could also identify where someone lives within the United States by how the person says “car.” New Englanders tend to extend the “a” sound and soften the “r.” But again, accents are just one part of dialects. Some New Englanders also use specific vocabulary that differs from New Yorkers who live just a few hours away! A sandwich made on a long roll of bread is often called a “grinder” in New England while New Yorkers say “sub.” These accents and word choices are all part of the concept of dialect.
Dialects across popular languages
We’ve covered a lot about English dialects, probably because it’s the most spoken language in the world. Over 1.5 billion people speak English, and it’s the official or administrative language of 67 countries worldwide. The number of English dialects in the world is about 160. We’ve listed the most widely used dialects, though there are many subdivisions within these categories, including one fascinating emerging category: Miami English.
English
- African English
- American English
- African-American Vernacular English
- Chicano English
- Metropolitan New York English
- Miami English
- New England English
- Southern American English
- Asian English
- Australian English
- Canadian English
- Caribbean English
- British English
- Brummie
- Cockney
- Northern Irish
- Received Pronunciation (RP)
- Scottish
- Scouse
- Welsh
- European English
- Indian English
- Irish English
- New Zealand English
Spanish
Spanish is spoken by at least 500 million people worldwide, and it’s the second-most spoken language in the world, including in the United States. There are 20 official Spanish-speaking countries worldwide. Key Spanish dialects from around the world are listed below. Note that some of these categories are broad and some are specific.
- Andean Spanish
- Andalusian Spanish
- Canarian Spanish
- Caribbean Spanish
- Castilian Spanish
- Central American Spanish
- Colombian Spanish
- Equatoguinean Spanish
- Extremaduran Spanish
- Mexican Spanish
- Murcian Spanish
- Rioplatense Spanish
- South American Spanish
- South American Spanish
>> Learn some basic words and phrases in Spanish!
French
Another popular Romance language, French comes in third as a language that’s spoken on every continent in the world. With around 300 million speakers worldwide, at least 22 dialects, and 29 official French-speaking countries, French is one of the most popular languages on the planet. Here are some of the main dialects of French around the world.
- Abidjan/Ivorian French
- Acadian French (Canada and some parts of the U.S.)
- Aostan French (Italy)
- Belgian French
- Cambodian French
- Chiac (Acadian French and English combination)
- Haitian French (not to be confused with Haitian Creole)
- Indian French
- Kinshasa French
- Lao French
- Lebanese French
- Louisiana Cajun French
- Meridional French, also known as Francitan (some areas of France)
- Metropolitan French, the main dialect spoken in Paris (considered the standard)
- Missouri French
- New England French
- Newfoundland French
- Ontario French (North and South)
- Québecois French (Canada)
- Swiss French
- Standard Canadian French
- Vietnamese French
>> Travel the world with a look at the unique vocabulary and grammar of 5 French dialects!
Explore a world of languages with Rosetta Stone
By now, you can probably answer the question “What is a dialect?” Dialects and accents can be so fun to explore within many different languages. Remember that the concept of language is the big umbrella term and all the dialects of any given language sit under that umbrella. Dialects are composed of elements like vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, word order, and word formation—all diverse ways humans communicate even when they speak the same language.
No matter what dialect you’re interested in, if you’re looking to learn French, Spanish, or any of the 25 languages Rosetta Stone offers, you’ll love the unlimited language learning system that is big on natural learning and small on memorization. Plus, TruAccent is built into every lesson to help you improve your pronunciation!
Written by Rowena Galavitz
Rowena Galavitz is a Spanish translator, bilingual copy editor, and language and literature instructor with three master’s degrees who loves Spanish and all things Mexico.
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