Forms and varieties of language. The notion of received standard.

In sociolinguistics a variety is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, accents, registers, styles or other sociolinguistic variation, as well as the standard variety itself. Variation at the level of the lexicon, such as slang and argot, is often considered in relation to particular styles or levels of formality (also called registers), but such uses are sometimes discussed as varieties themselves

Dialect is a regional or social variety of a language characterized by its own phonological, syntactic, and lexical properties. Although the words dialect and accent are sometimes used interchangeably in everyday English speech, linguists and scholars define the two terms differently. Accent, in technical usage, refers only to differences in pronunciation, especially those associated with geographic or social differences. Dialect, which refers to differences in syntax, morphology, and vocabulary, as well as pronunciation, is the broader term.

Most languages have a standard variety; that is, some variety that is selected and promoted by either quasi-legal authorities or other social institutions, such as schools or media. Standard varieties are more prestigious than other, nonstandard varieties and are generally thought of as "correct" by speakers of the language. Since this selection constitutes an arbitrary standard, however, standard varieties are only "correct" in the sense that they are highly valued within the society that uses the language.

An idiolect is defined as "the language use typical of an individual person." An individual's idiolect may be affected by contact with various regional or social dialects, professional registers, and in the case of multilinguals, various languages.

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