What is the difference between dialects and languages

The language evolves and changes and every moment. For example, new words, new sentence structures, etc. With the passage of time, they become a part of the language.

Similarly, some words become archaic and go out of use or change their meaning. It is the mainly the speakers of the language that are directly responsible for these changes. Language is a fascinating subject, and it can be studied under various categories such as phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. There are a lot of languages in the world. In , SIL Ethnologue cataloged 7, living human languages.

Even these languages have different varieties known as dialects. Speakers of the same language can have absolutely no contemporary cultural connections. Yes, there are historical ties that bind the two hence them speaking the same language , but any particular cultural affinity is certainly lacking when it comes to the average modern-day citizen.

As such, cultural considerations are no more help in defining the difference between a language and a dialect than mutual intelligibility is. Many countries have, at some point, in their history, selected a particular dialect on which to base their standardized language.

In Vietnam, for example, education is delivered in the Hanoian dialect. In England, the standardized language is based on the dialect spoken in the South East. Standard Russian is based on the way the language is spoken in Moscow.

And so on and so forth. However, in reality that dialect is no more nor less valid than any other dialect of the same language, each of which has developed over time in its own distinctive way. Some linguists believe that all languages are descended from one original human language. There are between 6, and 7, languages in use around the world and countless more dialects.

Why are they all so different? The most commonly cited reason for this is geographical isolation. Over time, communities that speak the same language but which are separated from each other will develop their own speech patterns and accents, as well as their own words. Both began with the same mother tongue, yet Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese sound distinctly different from each other.

Arabic is another fascinating example of linguistic divergence. Modern Standard Arabic delivers a version of the language that is based on that of the Quran, which is believed to have been written between and CE.

This form of Arabic allows speakers from different parts of the Arab world to communicate. Again, both geography and history have much to do with this. Dialects can also relate to social class, as well as geographical area. London has a great example of this with its Cockney dialect. Examples of the connection between dialects and social class, as well as dialects and educational levels, can be found across the globe.

This is usually most noticeable in large urban areas, while more rural areas tend to be less diverse in the range of dialects in use there are, of course, exceptions, which is what makes a study of languages — and dialects! Dialects can be a source of both fascination and frustration for professional translators. However, contemporary translation needs are changing to incorporate modern ways of presenting information, such as video.

With video translation, a translator could be faced with any number of regional dialects. In order to understand each other, a Moroccan and a Jordanian would have to communicate in Modern Standard Arabic, a version preserved roughly as it was when the Koran was written. A Czech and a Slovak can usually converse. An example is certain languages—um, dialects? The upside-down e is pronounced a lot like the oo in foot. But in between Soddo and Endegen are several other stages—I gave only a few of them—that each differ from the previous one by just a little change, such that the speakers can converse.

Both Soddo and Endegen over on the ends? Speech worked this way from village to village across Western Europe until recently, when unwritten, rural dialects started steadily disappearing.

Ready to learn? Pick a language to get started! Language vs. Dialect vs. Accent The good news is that the difference between accents and dialects is much less murky than that between dialects and language. Improve your accent in a new language. Try Babbel!