Dialectalise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To give a word, phrase, or language feature the qualities or characteristics of a particular dialect
2. To adapt or modify something linguistic so that it reflects the speech patterns and vocabulary of a specific regional dialect
3. To cause something to acquire or express the distinctive features of a particular dialect or regional variety of a language

Etymology: In ancient Greek, "dialektos" meant conversation or a way of speaking, not a regional variety of a language. It came from "dialegesthai," to converse, built from "dia-" (across, through) and "legein" (to speak). The sense of local speech varieties developed later, and that regional meaning is the one English took. "Dialectalise" is a modern formation. The noun "dialect" takes the adjective-forming suffix "-al" to give "dialectal," and the verb-forming "-ise" is added on top. The "-ise" ending is the British spelling; American English uses "dialectalize."

Synonyms: dialectalize