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lect

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: -lect

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

Use of the compound element -lect as an independent noun.

Pronunciation

Noun

lect (plural lects)

  1. (linguistics, sociolinguistics) A specific form of a language or language cluster: a language or a dialect.
    Synonyms: code, idiom, languoid, variety
    Hyponyms: acrolect, basilect, chronolect, dialect, ethnolect, geolect, idiolect, mesolect, regiolect, sociolect, sublect, topolect; more
    Meronyms: lexicon, grammar, sublect
    Coordinate term: register
    • 1980, Frederick B. Agard, The Genealogy of the French Language, published in Contributions to historical linguistics, →ISBN, page 222:
      These, together with (some) Romansh lects, belong to our West Rhaetian; the /ȫ/ also supported by two lects from the Ticino which by our criteria are NWIt, and by the partially umlauting lects of Lombardy which together with (some) Engadine lects belong to our East Rhaetian.

Usage notes

  • The term is used when it is not possible or desirable to decide whether something is a distinct language or only a dialect of a language.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

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