vernacular

WOTD – 1 March 2010    

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Latin vernāculus (“domestic, indigenous, of or pertaining to home-born slaves”), from verna (“a native, a home-born slave (one born in his master's house)”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /vəˈnæk.jə.lə/, /vəˈnæk.jʊ.lə/
• (US) IPA: /vɚˈnæk.jə.lɚ/

Noun

vernacular (plural vernaculars)

1. The language of a people, a national language.

   The vernacular of the United States is English.

2. Everyday speech, including colloquialisms, as opposed to literary or liturgical language.

   Street vernacular can be quite different from what is heard elsewhere.

3. Language unique to a particular group of people; jargon, argot.

   For those of a certain age, hiphop vernacular might just as well be a foreign language.

4. (Roman Catholicism, uncountable) The indigenous language of a people, into which the words of the Mass are translated.

   Vatican II allowed the celebration of the mass in the vernacular.

Synonyms

• (language unique to a group): argot, jargon, slang

Antonyms

• (national language): lingua franca

Translations

national language

• Danish: national sprog (da) n
• Dutch: landstaal (nl)
• Finnish: kansalliskieli
• French: langue nationale (fr)
• German: Amtssprache (de) f
• Greek: δημώδης (el) (dimódis) f, (colloquial) ντοπιολαλιά (el) (ntopiolaliá) f

• Icelandic: þjóðtunga (is) f
• Polish: język wernakularny (pl) m, język rodzimy (pl) m, język narodowy (pl) m
• Russian: народный язык (ru) (naródnyj jazýk) m, местный диалект (ru) (méstnyj dialékt) m
• Turkish: ulusal dil (tr)

everyday speech

• Chinese: 白话 (báihuà)
• Danish: daglig tale (da) c
• Dutch: volkstaal (nl) f, omgangstaal (nl) f, volksmond (nl) m, spreektaal (nl) f
• Finnish: arkikieli (fi), kansankieli (fi), puhekieli (fi)
• French: vernaculaire (fr) m
• German: Umgangssprache (de) f
• Greek: δημώδης (el) (dimódis) f
• Interlingua: vernacular, lingua vulgar
• Irish: teanga na coitiantachta (ga) f, teanga na háite (ga) f, teanga logánta (ga) f, teanga an phobail (ga) f, teanga choiteann (ga) f, teanga dhúchais (ga) f
• Italian: vernacolare (it) m
• Japanese: 方言 (hōgen)

• Korean: 방언 (ko) (bangeon)(方言), 사투리 (ko) (saturi)
• Latin: vernaculus, vernacularis
• Luxembourgish: Ëmgangssprooch (lb) f
• Norwegian: dagligtale (no) m
• Polish: język wernakularny (pl) m, język potoczny (pl) m
• Russian: просторечие (ru) (prostoréčie) n
• Spanish: vernáculo (es) m
• Swedish: vardagsspråk (sv)
• Telugu: (pranthiya)
• Turkish: konuşma dili (tr)
• Volapük: komunapük

language unique to a particular group of people

• Finnish: slangi (fi)
• French: dialecte (fr) m, idiome (fr) m, patois (fr) m
• German: Dialekt (de) m, Idiom (de) n
• Greek: διάλεκτος (el) (diálektos) f, ιδίωμα (el) (idíoma) n

• Italian: dialetto (it) m, idioma (it)
• Polish: dialekt (pl) m, narzecze (pl) m
• Russian: профессиональный жаргон (ru) (professional’nyi žargón) n
• Spanish: idioma (es) m, dialecto (es) m

(christianity) indigenous language of a people

• Finnish: kansankieli (fi)
• French: langue vulgaire (fr) f

• German: Volkssprache (de) f
• Swedish: folkspråk (sv) n

Adjective

vernacular (comparative more vernacular, superlative most vernacular)

1. Of or pertaining to everyday language.

Synonyms

• (of everyday language): common, everyday, indigenous, ordinary, vulgar

Translations

pertaining to everyday language

• Finnish: arkikielinen, kansankielinen
• French: en langage courant
• Icelandic: þjóðtungu- (is)
• Irish: dúchasach (ga)
• Italian: vernacolare (it)

• Polish: wernakularny (pl), rodzimy (pl)
• Russian: (language of nationality) народный (ru) (naródnyj), местный (ru) (méstnyj); (non-literary language) просторечный (ru) (prostoréčnyj) n, разговорный (ru) (razgovórnyj) n
• Spanish: vernáculo (es)

External links

• vernacular in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• vernacular in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• vernacular at OneLook Dictionary Search