Difference Between Dialect And Accent

Even though both of these highly independent language formats seem incredibly similar at first glance, there are some small intricacies that dramatically separate the two from one another. 

Though it's easy to miss these intricacies, once you've absorbed them it's all going to make perfect sense for you going forwards. A closer look will reveal precisely why these two 'systems' of vocabulary are actually vastly different animals, and it'll display what makes them wholly unique. When you've grasped the 'how and why' behind the inner workings of these language systems, you'll then be better equipped to understand and utilise them as part of your day to day communication. Over the course of this article, we're going to fully break down the 'dialect vs. accent' debate / respective structures, and present them to you in a really accessible way to avoid any confusion from now on.

Definition Of Dialect

Dialect is, in a nutshell, the location-specific structure and arrangement of a language. That might sound a little confusing at first, but it actually isn't. To put it purely in 'lay mans' terms, languages are just systems that we use to speak with based on our ethnic origin/country of origin. Within this overriding system, we have a dialect, which is an area or regional specific version of that language or 'system'. To make this a little easier to grasp, try to picture it like this:

'When viewing the world from space. Picture the earth as a language. The green countries / and continents that fill it are like dialects within the earth sphere.'

So really, they're almost like different shades of colour on a colour wheel. One person in the U.S.A for example would likely speak 'American English', as an overriding language. However, if you talked to two people in the U.S.A, one from South Carolina, and one from New Jersey. Precisely how they'd utilize the structure of 'American English' would massively differ. They'd have slightly altered / individual terminology for a variety of objects & actions, and overall their use of the overriding descriptive elements of the language system would contrast. When it comes to understanding the difference between accent and dialect, the most important element to grasp is that what many people believe is an accent, is actually a dialect. To help separate the two further, we'll now hone in on precisely what an accent is to create a better and clearer understanding.

Definition Of Accent

The accent is often not what people believe it is. As mentioned in the last section, it's incredibly easy to confuse it with dialect, as we'll now highlight. We'll shortly check out a table that'll provide a quick reference guide for you to easily sum up the key differences between the two language forms, but first, we need to pre-frame with a little more explanation. One of the main reasons why so many people confuse the two is simply because an accent is probably far more 'noticeable' than a dialect on the whole. With zero understanding of a language, you're far more likely to recognize the language someone is speaking purely by their accent.

In fact, funnily enough, you can actually pick up on a person's native language purely by hearing their accent more often than not. A Chinese person speaking UK English for instance will almost always be recognised as a Chinese native, as will say a Spanish or Italian native. This is all purely because of the way they pronounce words. This is absolutely true also, of their own native language and the way they use it versus other people who speak their native language. It all depends on which area of a country you come from.

Accent then is simply the way in which a word is spoken. Whether it's the length of certain letters or the pitch of a voice. On balance, Dialect differs as a result of being the combination of words that we actually use to describe the world around us, based entirely on the area of a country we come from. Both are the result of native Nationality and living in different areas of a country, but it's the manner in which both language forms get utilised in a practical, spoken form that separates them. Interestingly, you can entirely fake an accent (as per an actor), but you can't fake a dialect. Dialects are purely process-based whereas accents are simply a collection of sounds.

You might be a little confused as to how we've all managed to speak in such a dramatically different fashion, but you've got to cast your mind back for a moment to a less civilized time in history. As different countries and regions were forming, humans naturally developed the word 'systems' (languages) to describe the world around them to each other. Over time, as we populated different areas and spread further afield. Individual interpretation and delivery of those 'systems' inevitably occurred. This is ultimately what laid the foundations for different dialects. Further still, the means by which we chose to express these systems verbally also altered based on the individuals relaying them. So basically...at some point, people made it up as they went along! It was similar to a giant game of 'Chinese Whispers. One adopted by millions of people. This is what in turn led to the massively diverse language, accent and dialect base we have now across the world.

Main Differences Between Dialect Vs. Accent

For those still asking 'what is the difference between dialect and accent?' we're now going to 'simplify' the key areas where the two differ for easier understanding. Use the below table as a quick reference guide to sum up the two:

• What Dialect is? 
• What Accent is: What Dialect isn't? 
• What accent isn't?

A language structure. The way we verbally say a language. The way we say something. The way we structure a language. The words we use to describe the world. The way we speak different words. Based on pronunciation. The individual words we use. A unique way of structuring a language. Based entirely on pronunciation. The way something sounds. The combination of words we use. Based on the region of a country we live in. Also based on the region of a country we live in. Universal and used by everybody. Universal and used by everybody.

Conclusion

Now that we've reached this point, hopefully, you're feeling a little better about this long-standing language form battle! Relax, this is something that many people around you still ponder over too. It's largely because the two are so incredibly similar, so it's very hard to differentiate. Before you go out into the world and start communicating with your new-found perspective on language structures and how we say them. Just remember:

'Dialects are painting by numbers pictures, waiting to be coloured in with the help of accents.'

Alright, so we don't expect you to turn into Picasso. But the above statement is definitely an easy way to remember the areas in which they differ if you happen to get lost.