Dialect

A dialect is a language used in a limited area with a peculiar usage and it may vary from its parent language. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines it as ‘the form of language that is spoken in one area with grammar, words and pronunciation that may be different from other forms of the same language’. The Webster’s dictionary defines it as ‘the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people’. The most important feature of a dialect is that it may not have its script, while it is as good as mandatory for a language to have one. An important feature of a dialect is that it often is the first language or mother tongue for a large part of the population; therefore, to know about it assumes significance.

A speaker of a standard language finds himself at odds when he comes across a person who speaks a dialect of the same language, because several of its features make it incomprehensible to him. Can we say that a dialect is a blemish on the parent or standard language? No, we cannot. There are reasons when we claim this. The sole purpose of a language is to express ideas, describe things and interact with others, and if a dialect is able to carry out this purpose, it is a meaningful thing, despite the fact that it may inconvenience some people; at the same time, it may be source of several types of avoidable misunderstanding.

It has been seen, however, that the people of certain dialects do not like to change their style or expression even when they are interacting with other people who cannot understand his dialect. It may be due to a number of causes, like their inability to express themselves in the parent or standard language; or they may use their dialect as a mark of their identity. If the use of a dialect mars clarity, a person should shift to the parent or standard language, so that the basic purpose of interaction is served.

Characteristics of a Dialect

From the above discussion, the following characteristics of a dialect become evident :

1. Limited Area : A dialect is limited in terms of area. In India, it is popularly said that language changes its hue every two miles and a half. It signifies that while the parent language remains the same, the spoken or in-use language changes with a change in the area. While the number of proper languages in India is limited, the number of dialects goes up to thousands.

2. Peculiar Usage : A dialect has a peculiar usage. That is, people speaking a particular dialect use the parent language in their own peculiar way. Thus, with the change of dialect, the use of certain words, terms or sentences can undergo a change.

3. Like but Distinct from Parent Language : A dialect is like its parent or standard language of the area, but is quite different from it too. That means that while a dialect can be identified by an outsider which language can be its parent language, it may be difficult to understand it clearly. For example, Hindi is the parent language of Haryanvi, and an outsider will be able to know that certain people are speaking in Haryanvi and he will be able to pick certain words and usages; however, he will not be able to understand the language clearly. Moreover, a person living in Ambala speaks this language differently from a person living in Rohtak. This variation can be so great in some parts that the dialect of the same language may not be understandable to a person from other area speaking the same dialect. This can be clearly seen in Punjab, where a person living in Amritsar finds himself at odds to understand what is being spoken by a person from Patiala. This occurs the world over. English as spoken by an Indian is quite unintelligible to the British.

4. Use of Different Words, Grammar and Pronunciation : You must have heard scores of jokes being told about the variety of languages and dialects. For example, ‘bari’ is ‘cupboard’ in Bengali but ‘window’ in Punjabi. ‘Bera Patna’ is ‘to know’ in Haryanvi while it is ‘to tear off’ in Khari Boli. You can find different usages of the same words in different dialects and languages. In the same way, you can also find different usages of grammar and pronunciation. All these characteristics make a dialect limited to a particular area and group.

5. Pertaining to a Particular Group : Generally, a dialect extends over an area, but there may be instances when a dialect pertains to a particular group of community. For example, in many places, the people of a certain caste or occupation use a different dialect from other people of the same area. Such ‘group dialect’ evolves because of extensive usage of it in the group which may be irrelevant for other people. Migration of people can also be a reason for this. When people migrate from one area to another, they carry their culture and dialect with them, and they keep using it. This evolves into a particular dialect over a period of time due to their interaction with other people in the place. For example, the people of Punjab who migrated to different areas in Uttar Pradesh continued to speak their native Punjabi in the initial period; but as they came into closer contact with other people, their use of Punjabi was influenced by the surrounding dialect and language, and they introduced several such words in their own language. The Punjabi of Uttar Pradesh people is quite different from the native Punjabi of Punjab mainly because of this reason.

6. Limited Usage : A dialect has limited usage. Some languages too may find it hard to have application in diverse phenomena; for example, a Bengali or Kashmiri may find it difficult to express notions in science, technology and research, for which they may need the help of Hindi/English. However, when it comes to a dialect, its usage is very limited. It has to take the help of the parent or other language to fill the slot. For example, a dialect may find it hard to express itself in topics of literature, science, technology, poetry, commerce and the like, for which it needs to take the help of the parent or standard language.