Vernacularities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A range of everyday language forms used by a particular group or community
2. specific linguistic expressions that characterize a region or social group
3. distinct varieties of speech or informal language that convey cultural identity and local character

Etymology: "Vernacularities" is the plural of "vernacularity," which is formed by adding the suffix "-ity" to "vernacular." The suffix "-ity," borrowed from Latin "-itas" through Old French, turns an adjective into a noun denoting a quality or state, so "vernacularity" names the quality of being vernacular, that is, of belonging to the ordinary speech of a particular place or people. The base word "vernacular" comes from Latin "vernaculus," meaning "domestic" or "native," a word derived from "verna," a home-born slave. In English, "vernacular" was first used as an adjective for a language of everyday, local speech as opposed to a learned tongue such as Latin, and the noun sense followed from it. The plural form simply counts individual instances of this quality, such as the distinct local speech habits of different communities.