Dialect

Frae Wikipedia

A dialect, whiles cryed a byleid an aa, is a variety o a leid. It is the name gien tae a variety o spaek that isna conseidert tae differ eneuch frae the "staundart" variety o a leid for tae be cryed a leid o its ain.

Hou muckle differs there maun be afore a dialect becomes a leid is gey subjective an aften lippens on poleitical conseiderations (the debate ower whither Scots is a leid o its ain or juist a dialect o English is a prime exemplar). This gies rise tae the saw that "a leid is juist a dialect wi an airmy an a navy" — that is, ae variety o langage is mair like tae be cryed a leid gin it's spak in an unthirlt kintra, an mair like tae be cryed a dialect gin it's spak in ae region o a lairger kintra.

Acause o this difeiculty, monie linguists disna like tae uise the terms "leid" an "dialect", an wad liefer talk anent "varieties o langage" juist.