Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
What is the difference between a language and a dialect?
Position1 of 2

There is too much variability in the way each is described to divide them

This position holds that language and dialect cannot be cleanly distinguished, because there is too much variability in how each is defined. It argues that the definitions admit so many exceptions — political and social as much as linguistic — that no firm line can be drawn between the two.

Supporting arguments · 1

  1. The excessive variation in definitions means they cannot be differentiated
    Languages and dialects cannot be neatly categorized as separate phenomena because none of the popular, scholarly, or sociopolitical definitions are sufficient.