Dialect:
A
dialect is a regional or social variety of a language. It has words and
features of grammar that are not shared by other forms of the language, and is
spoken with a different accent. Distinguishing a dialect from a
language, or from a differently accented variety, is not a always easy, and is
often based on political as much as on linguistic factors. Dialects of English
include Scots, African American Vernacular English, and informal Singapore
English ( 'Singlish'). Most dialect speakers also speak a standard variety of
the language (such as British or American English). This fact is used to
justify teaching Standard English to learners, rather than dialect.
Accent:
A
person's accent is the way their pronunciation reveals their social and or geographical
background. Someone form New Zealand, for example, typically speaks with a New
Zealand accent, which nowadays means that shear and share are both pronounced
shear. But within New
Zealand there will be differences in accent
according to factors such as social class and educational background. The same
applies anywhere.
