hello everyone in this lecture we are going to explain the difference between a language and a dialect but before I start this lecture if you are new to my channel then like the video and subscribe the channel let's start it the terms language and dialect are often used interchangeably but there is a subtle difference between the two well let's move and learn the difference between them language a language is a broader system of communication with its own distinct grammar vocabulary and structure as you come to know that a language is a broader system of a communication but let me tell you the characteristics of a language that make it different from a dialect but you need to keep in mind that there is no single set of characteristics that definitively distinguishes a language from a dialect however there are some general factors that can be considered when making this distinction standardization what does it mean basically it means that languages are typically more standardized than dialects this means that there are agreed upon rules for how to use the language such as grammar and spelling dialects on the other hand are less standardized and may have more variation in how they are spoken why use range it means that a language is typically used in a wider range of contexts than a dialect language is often used for formal purposes such as in government education and the media a dialect on the other hand is often used in more informal contexts such as an everyday conversation political status languages are often given official status by governments this means that they are recognized as the official language of a country when the government officials deal with other people of others countries so they deal with them in a standard language and not in dialects of that language scope what does it mean by scope basically it means that a language is a broader term than a dialect a language can include multiple dialects for example English is a language that includes many dialects for example southern English southern English is the dialect of English spoken in the south of England it is the most widely spoken dialect of English in England Cockney Cockney is a dialect of English spoken in East London it is a very distinctive dialect with a number of unique features such as its use of rhyming slang and its tendency to drop that H sound at the beginning of words dialect on the other hand a dialect is a variety of a language that is spoken by a particular group of people in a particular region or social group dialects are distinguished from each other by their vocabulary grammar and pronunciation dialects are not considered to be separate languages they are all part of the same language but they have different features that make them unique actually you need to remember that dialects can be mutually intelligible meaning that speakers of different dialects can understand each other even if they have some difficulty but this question must in your mind that how a dialect is different from a language let me tell you the characteristics of a dialect you will be able to differentiate it from a language vocabulary by vocabulary we mean that dialects often have different words for the same thing for example the word soda is used in some parts of the United States while the word pop is used in other parts pronunciation by pronunciation it means that dialects to some extent have different pronunciations of the same words for example in some dialects the word pin is pronounced as pen Geographic factors dialects are often influenced by Geographic factors for example the dialect spoken in the north of England may be different from the dialects spoken in the south of England intonation it means that different dialects may have different intonation patterns for example in some dialects of English questions are typically pronounced with a rising intonation while in other dialects they are typically pronounced with a falling intonation well guys if you have enjoyed this lecture please do not forget like and subscription to the channel thank you