Dialect
noun (chiefly); also attributive/adjectival ("dialect words")Usage in a UPSC answer
Any genuinely inclusive language policy must accommodate the rich tapestry of dialects spoken across India, for compelling citizens to abandon their mother tongue in favour of a standardised idiom risks both administrative alienation and the erosion of intangible cultural heritage.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
dialectal (adj), dialectally (adv), dialectic (n/adj), dialectology (n), dialectologist (n)
Root
Greek diálektos = conversation, language of a place; diá = through + légō = to speak
Etymology
From Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectos, from Ancient Greek diálektos ("conversation, the language of a country or place"), from diá ("through") + légō ("to speak"); first attested in English in the 16th century.
Memory Hook
Break it down: DIA- ("across/between") + -LECT (from legein, "to speak") = the way people speak across one particular region. Think of a "dialogue" in the local "lect" (speech).
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BharatNotes