What's the real difference between a language and a dialect? Where does one language end and another begin? There are aa lot of misconceptions out their, resulting in people thinking the way some people speak is 'just' a dialect. Let's look at how to put things right seeing all language varieties as equally magnificent!



00:00 Introduction
00:41 Language varieties
01:18 Social and Political definition
01:29 West Germanic Dialect Continuum
03:04 Degrees of mutual intelligibility
03:15 Other continua
04:03 Effect of mountains and rivers
04:22 Standard Languages
05:01 National Languages
05:16 Example of dialects straddling national borders
06:50 Language policies stamping out diversity
07:34 Linguisitc snobbery
07:57 Problematic definition using intelligibility
08:36 A dialect with an army and navy