Dialect

noun (chiefly); also attributive/adjectival ("dialect words")
/ˈdaɪəlɛkt/
A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary from other varieties of the same language; India's 2011 Census recorded 19,500 mother tongues, many of which are dialects of the 22 Scheduled Languages.

✍️ 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

vernacularpatoisidiomvarietytongueregiolect

Antonyms

standard languagelingua francakoine

🌱 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).

Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation

Ujiyari Ujiyari — Current Affairs