I know what the difference is, I’m just interested in seeing a simple explanation.
In: Other
A dialect is a language separated by geography, and without an army.
A vernacular is a language that your teacher would disapprove of.
A dialect is just a different variety of the same language. They often have different accents and differences in vocabulary (pop vs soda, chips vs fries, etc.)
The definitions for dialects isn’t very solid though. You’ll hear people say a language is just a dialect with an army. For example, Spanish and Portuguese are relatively similar, but are considered different languages. Meanwhile Mandarin and Cantonese are very different, but are considered dialects of Chinese.
Vernacular is a variety of a language (aka a dialect) that the average person uses in a casual context. They way you talk to a friend is vernacular. The way a company writes a PR statement probably isnt.
Latest Answers