When learning a new language, it can be difficult especially when you take into consideration that every language has differing dialects and accents.
When you can understand the difference in language, dialect, and accent, you can more easily learn and speak the language. Though the differences in the three can be subtle, they will have a great impact on your knowledge and ability.
First, what do language, dialect, and accent mean?
Language
Language can be defined as a code or system for communication that is specific to a country or culture. To know a language means that you can speak it in a way that others who know the same language can understand. There is a difference, however, in knowing the sounds of a language. Knowing the sounds means that you have an understanding of which sounds are used in that language and also knowing how those sounds can be combined to make new sounds.
A language can be spoken mostly in one country like Japanese in Japan or Fijian in Fiji or a single language can be spoken in many different countries like English, which is the main language in the USA, Canada, England and Australia.
World languages by number of speakers (in millions)
English
Chinese
Hindi
Spanish
Arabic
Dialect
Dialects are variations on the same language that have developed over time and are usually specific to a geographic region. Some variations are actually now considered languages when they were once just dialects. For example, Spanish, Italian, and French used to be dialects of Latin but are now considered to be their own language. The meaning of dialect will be more clear when we compare language and dialect.
Canadian English is a dialect just like Okinawan Japanese. These titles refer to the region of the speaker as well as the proper language. More on this to come.
Accent
Accents are defined as being part of a dialect and refer to the way in which people, or a region of people, make the sounds for words or how they pronounce words. Accents are generally considered to be part of a dialect.
You can also use accent for the way that people speak a foreign language. I’m Canadian, for example, so I would speak Japanese with an accent because I don’t sound like a native Japanese speaker.
So what's the difference between language, dialect and accent?
The best way to explain this is by looking at the differences between language and dialect and dialect and accent.
Language and dialect
Let’s start with the most difficult to differentiate. A simple way to see the difference between dialect and language is that a language typically has a written and a spoken form or system while a dialect is only spoken.
But, this is oversimplifying the difference.
The term language is typically used to refer to the standard for a specific language. This means that it is the proper form of the language that follows the rules and sounds of that language. A dialect is more of the vernacular without a written system. Vernacular is defined as the way in which ordinary people speak a language. People typically do not follow all of the rules of a language when speaking. Some vocabulary words may also differ between dialects of a language.
For example, many countries have assigned English as their language of choice. If a British English speaker went to America, the two individuals from each country could communicate with relative ease because they both speak English. However, because the British English dialect differs from the American English dialect, there may be specific terms or phrases that are unknown to the American English speaking person.
When you are referring to what a person speaks, it is common to do so the way shown in the previous paragraph. By saying American English, American refers to the person’s dialect while English is referring to the language they speak. Other examples include Mandarin Chinese or Puerto Rican Spanish.
For something fun, here is a list some common vocabulary differences between American, British and Australian dialects.
Typically, a dialect will not get elevated to the title of language except if a new nation is created and they name the dialect as their language of choice.
Dialect and accent
These two terms frequently get used in the same way, however, they are not the same thing. Accents are just the way that people pronounce words in a language while a dialect is a much larger part of a language. Dialects include not only pronunciation but also the grammar and the vocabulary that a group or region of people use.
So when someone talks about how a region speaks differently, they are more than likely talking about a dialect and not an accent. For example, let’s look at the American Southern states. In the American South, terms like “y’all” are commonly used whereas the rest of the nation says “you all.” Also, consider the terms for carbonated drinks, in the South, they use the term “soda” when other regions of the nation may use the terms “pop” or “coke.” These examples demonstrate that there is not necessarily a difference in pronunciation, but a whole different word that is being used to refer to the same item.
American Southern English should therefore be considered a dialect and not just an accent.
When thinking about accents, think about how someone sounds when speaking another language. An Italian speaking English will still speak English with their Italian accent. So, they are using the appropriate English words but they are pronouncing them differently.
Some linguists, a person who studies languages, have taken to using the term “variety.” By using variety instead of dialect or accent, we can create groupings instead of specific differences. So you can say geographic varieties, social varieties, or standard varieties.
How this effects you...
While these differences in language, dialect, and accent don’t seem like they will impact the learning of a new language, it is important to know these differences so that you can understand if what you are studying is part of the language or part of a dialect.
Consider first learning the language to make sure you understand the standard for any language. Then move to learning dialects. Like, for example, the dialect of the area you are living in or planning to visit. Learning the dialect of the region you are in also goes a long way in having interesting conversations with people from that region. They will often feel overjoyed that you have taken the time to learn the dialect and will treat you kindly. From there, you can work on reducing your accent (accent reduction) when speaking the language.
There is no right or wrong way to learn a new language, but it can tend to be easier to start big and then work towards mastering the subtleties within a language.
Thanks for reading!
