Vernacularity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The attribute of using common speech rather than formal language is one aspect, alongside the characteristic of a particular dialect, and includes unique expressions within a community
2. It refers to the quality of everyday language usage as opposed to formalized speech, the features that define a specific dialect, and the distinctive phrases employed by a community
3. The quality of speaking in the common tongue rather than formal language ; traits that distinguish a regional dialect ; expressions that are unique to a specific group

Etymology: "Vernacularity" is a plain formation: the adjective "vernacular" with the suffix "-ity" added to turn it into a noun of quality. "Vernacular" itself comes from Latin "vernaculus", meaning domestic or native, and the Latin word was built from "verna", a home-born slave or household servant. So the core idea behind the word is something born and raised within the home, as opposed to something brought in from outside. The suffix "-ity", borrowed through French from Latin "-itas", is the familiar device that turns adjectives such as "local" or "popular" into abstract nouns naming a quality. Attaching it to "vernacular" gives a term for the state of being vernacular, which is why the word reads as an abstraction about everyday speech rather than a single dialect or phrase.

Synonyms: dialect, colloquialism, native language, slang, jargon

Antonyms: standard language, formality, literary language, sophistication, elegance