dialect [Grk diálektos ‘common language’]

A linguistic system (in the sense of langue ( langue vs parole)) that (a) shows a high degree of similarity to other systems so that at least partial mutual intelligibility is possible; (b) is tied to a specific region in such a way that the regional distribution of the system does not overlap with an area covered by another such system; (c) does not have a written or standardized form, i.e. does not have officially standardized orthographic and grammatical rules. Apart from this narrow definition which describes, for example, the situation in Britain, the term ‘dialect’ is used by linguists in various other senses. Note, for example, the broader use of ‘dialects’ to refer to the various languages that stem from a single ancestral language, such as the ‘Romance dialects’ from Latin.