Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


idiolect

n. a dialect spoken at the level of an individual. In one sense, all speakers have an idiolect because no two people use their native language in the same way. In another, the term is reserved for the most idiosyncratic forms of personal language use, especially those involving eccentricities of construction or vocabulary. An idiolect of this kind may be developed by a person who acquires a second language unsystematically, especially if this occurs in an unusual or isolated learning environment (see interlanguage; fossilization). Some poets and writers also develop distinctive idiolects in their writings. —idiolectal adj.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

February 23rd 2025

Krause end bulb

Krause end bulb

a specialized sensory nerve ending enclosed in a capsule in the skin. It is associated with temperature sensations. [Wilhelm Krause (1833–1910), German anatomist]