eye dialect

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

[edit] English

Wikipedia

[edit] Noun

eye dialect (countable and uncountable; plural eye dialects)

1. (uncountable) The deliberate use of nonstandard spellings to indicate that the speaker uses a nonstandard or dialectal speech, even though the spelling is pronounced the same way as the original word.
2. (countable) A set of such nonstandard spellings, collectively used to reflect a certain form of speech.

[edit] Usage notes

• The term eye dialect may have a negative connotation; pronunciation spelling or respelling may be considered more neutral.