Vernacular vs Dialect: What’s the Difference?
The difference at a glance
Vernacular is the common, everyday language used by ordinary people in a specific region. Dialect refers specifically to a variety of a language distinguished by unique vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
Example sentences are illustrative learning examples, not verified quotations.
What does Vernacular mean?
noun · /vəˈnæk.jʊ.lər/
The everyday language or dialect spoken by ordinary people in a particular group, region, or period — as opposed to formal or literary language. The vernacular is how people actually talk: direct, efficient, alive with idiom and invention.
Explore VernacularVernacular in a sentence
The Bible's power grew when Tyndale translated it into the English vernacular — suddenly it was speaking to people, not over them.
Her academic writing was precise but lifeless; her vernacular storytelling was where she actually came alive.
What does Dialect mean?
noun · /ˈdaɪ.ə.lɛkt/
A variety of a language that differs from other varieties in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, spoken in a particular region or by a particular social group. All standard languages are dialects that achieved political dominance.
Explore DialectDialect in a sentence
The linguist's dictum: a language is a dialect with an army and a navy.
She had worked hard to neutralize her regional dialect in professional settings — and felt the loss of it more sharply with every decade.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Vernacular and Dialect?
Vernacular is the common, everyday language used by ordinary people in a specific region. Dialect refers specifically to a variety of a language distinguished by unique vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
What does Vernacular mean?
The everyday language or dialect spoken by ordinary people in a particular group, region, or period — as opposed to formal or literary language. The vernacular is how people actually talk: direct, efficient, alive with idiom and invention.
What does Dialect mean?
A variety of a language that differs from other varieties in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, spoken in a particular region or by a particular social group. All standard languages are dialects that achieved political dominance.