What does patois mean?
A patois is a form of speech associated with a particular place, community, or social group, often combining local vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and idioms. It may be fully established and rich in literary or cultural traditions, or it may be dismissed by outsiders as informal or nonstandard. The word is commonly used when discussing regional speech, especially where a community's distinctive language forms an important part of its identity. In a literary or historical context, patois can signal authenticity and cultural detail, as when a writer reproduces dialogue that sounds natural to a particular setting. Its meaning depends on context: the word can describe a valued regional tradition, but it can also carry the implication that the speech is inferior to an official or standardized language. A careful writer therefore considers the community's perspective when using the term.
nounA form of speech peculiar to a particular locality or social group, especially one that differs from the standard or recognized language. The term can also refer more generally to an informal or nonstandard variety of speech.
- A form of speech characteristic of a particular locality, community, or social group, especially one that differs from the standard language.
- An informal or nonstandard variety of speech regarded by some speakers as provincial, rustic, or socially inferior.
- A body of local expressions, pronunciations, and idioms viewed as a distinct linguistic tradition.
"The author captured the patois of the coastal community in his dialogue."
"Several generations of the family preserved the patois of their native village."
"The novel's narrator speaks in a working-class patois that is not always understood by outsiders."
The noun is normally used with the same form in the plural; when different forms are needed, the context or a phrase such as 'different patois' is generally preferred.
"The book compares patois from several neighboring towns."
Patois is a vivid label for the distinctive speech of a place or community, from its particular vocabulary to its rhythms and idioms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does patois come from?
The English word comes from French patois, a term used for local or rural speech and for speech considered nonstandard or provincial. French patois itself developed in a context where regional varieties were distinguished from the prestige language of official life. English borrowed the word in the eighteenth century, initially with a somewhat disparaging sense, while later usage also recognized patois as a distinct and culturally meaningful variety.
How patois is actually used
The term can be descriptive and respectful when it refers to a recognized local variety, but it may sound dismissive when used for speech regarded as inferior to standard language. It is generally used for a language variety rather than for an individual's occasional error.