A variety of a
language is a form that differs from other forms of the language systematically and coherently. Variety is a wider concept than style of
prose or style of
language.Some writers in
sociolinguistics use the term lect, apparently a
back-formation from specific terms such as dialect and idiolect.Examples of varieties are:
dialects, i.e. varieties spoken by geographically defined
speech communitiesidiom is a term neutral to the dialect–language distinction and is used to refer to the studied communicative system (that could be called either a dialect or a language) when its status with respect to this distinction is irrelevant (thus it is a synonym to
language in the more general sense);
sociolects, i.e. varieties spoken by socially defined speech communities
standard language, standardized for education and public performance
idiolects, i.e. a variety particular to a certain person
registers (or
diatypes), i.e. the specialised
vocabulary and/or
grammar of certain activities or professions
ethnolects, for an ethnic group
ecolects, an idiolect adopted by a household
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