Definition:
A word or expression that is characteristic of a particular geographic area.
Etymology:
From the Latin, "to rule"Examples and Observations:
- "In the South it’s called Coke, even when it’s Pepsi. Many in Boston say tonic. A precious few even order a fizzy drink. But the debate between those soft drink synonyms is a linguistic undercard in the nation’s carbonated war of words. The real battle: pop vs. soda."
(Jason Straziuso, "Pop vs. Soda Debate Splits the Nation," 2001) - "Sack and poke were both originally regional terms for bag. Sack has since become a Standard term like bag, but poke remains regional, mainly in South Midland Regional dialect."
(Kenneth G. Wilson, "The Columbia Guide to Standard American English," 1993) - "How do you make your tea? If you come from Yorkshire you probably ‘mash’ it, but people in Cornwall are more likely to ‘steep’ it or ‘soak’ it and southerners often ‘wet’ their tea."
(Leeds Reporter, March 1998) - "What some call a roll, others call a bun, or a cob, or a bap, or a bannock, while in other areas [of England] more than one of these words is used with different meanings for each."
(Peter Trudgill, The Dialects of England, 1999)
Pronunciation: REE-juh-na-LIZ-um
