Sociolect
In
linguistics, a
sociolect is the language spoken by a
social group,
social class or
subculture. It is a
portmanteau term combining the words "social" and "dialect", which in this regard differs from an
idiolect – which is the form of a language peculiar to an individual – and a
dialect, which is a form of speech peculiar to a certain area. However, dialects often have a particular social status, so that a given variant may be considered simultaneously a dialect and a sociolect. For example, standard
Italian is a dialect in that it is particular to Tuscany; yet, being the national language of Italy, it is also a sociolect in that it carries a certain prestige from being a
lingua franca throughout the country – both in broadcasting, in the press and by people of high social status.
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Argot*
Jargon*
Register (linguistics)*
Slang*
Sociolinguistics
