Ethar's note

Hello everyone

This post includes my notes for our next essay about accent and dialect

There are two main things that distinguish an accent from a dialect.

-First, an accent refers to the Phonology and Phonetics of speech, that is, the sounds and sound patterns, whereas a dialect refers to the entire linguistic system.

-Second, a dialect also involves some notion of a speech community. For example, if someone from India were to move to Dubuque and start speaking English, we'd refer to her speech as foreign accented speech.

Most people think of an accent as something that other people have. In some cases, they speak disparagingly about one accent compared with another. The truth is that everyone has an accent, 
because an accent is simply a way of pronouncing words.

When it comes to changes in vocabulary in different regions, then you’re talking about dialect. Dialect refers to differences in accent, grammar and vocabulary among different versions of a language.

Dialects take time to develop and also require that the group of people live close together while at the same time having some form of isolation from other populations. This isolation can be geographical, political, or religious amongst other forms.

There is a popular belief that dialects are simply corruptions of "real" or "good" English that reflect basic ignorance of well-known grammar rules. But the truth is that dialect structures are in themselves quite natural and neutral. Their social impact comes solely from their association with different groups in our society. If people belong to a socially oppressed group, they can count on having their language stigmatized; if they belong to a prestigious group, their language will carry prestige value.

reference;

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-18-fall-2000/feature/everyone-has-accent

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-accent-and-dialect