Vernacularize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /vəˈnækjʊləˌɹaɪz/

Definitions

1. To modify language so that it resonates with the ordinary folk of a given culture
2. To convert formal language into the everyday speech used by people in a particular area
3. To rephrase or transform language so that it aligns with common local expressions and usage

Etymology: Vernacular comes from Latin "vernaculus," meaning homegrown or native, and was originally used of household slaves born in the master's house. That sense of something belonging to the home rather than the outside world gave later English its meaning of ordinary, everyday speech as opposed to a formal or learned tongue. Vernacularize is simply vernacular with the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make something conform to or take on a certain character. So to vernacularize is to render something in the everyday idiom of a people, bringing a text, a service or a message down from formal language into the speech of ordinary folk. The verb is a straightforward derivation, so the interest lies in the base word's journey from a word about domestic belonging to one about the language people actually speak at home.

Synonyms: translate, localize, adapt, interpret, express

Antonyms: standardize, formalize, alienate, distort, misinterpret