Dialectism: meaning, definitions and examples

Describes linguistic features that are characteristic of a particular regional or social dialect.

• In Scotland, the word 'wee' as in 'a wee bit' is a dialectism for 'small'.

Used to highlight words, phrases, or behaviors that are specific to a particular locality or region.

• 'Poutine' is a localism in Canada referring to a dish made with fries, cheese curds, and gravy.

Refers to informal words, phrases, or expressions that are used in everyday conversation, rather than in formal speech or writing.

• 'Gonna' is a colloquialism for 'going to' and is commonly used in casual conversations.

Denotes the everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from the literary or official language. It can include colloquial and regional language but also general everyday speech.

• When writing his stories, Mark Twain often used the vernacular of the Southern United States.