Etymology

isolect

I1S1O1L1E1C3T1

Today it means: A language or dialect; coined as a neutral term between ‘language’ and ‘dialect.’ Full definition →

First used 1967.
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The story

Coined by Alfred Hudson in his published work on the languages of Borneo: iso- + -lect.

First known use, by meaning

  • From 1967. A language or dialect; coined as a neutral term between ‘language’ and ‘dialect.’

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.