doculect

D2O1C3U1L1E1C3T1
UK/ˈdɒkjʊlɛkt/UK/ˈdɒkjəlɛkt/US/ˈdɑkjulɛkt/US/ˈdɑkjəlɛkt/

noun

The lect (language variety) of a particular document.

Scrabble 13

Meanings

noundoculect (plural doculects)

plural doculects

  1. human sciencesThe lect (language variety) of a particular document.

    This is not the whole explanation why these Mayan doculects have an exceptionally high token frequency, but it explains part of the deviation.

    2012, Andrea Ender, Adrian Leemann, Bernhard Wälchli, Methods in Contemporary Linguistics, →ISBN, page 78
    2 more examples

    However, for the present study these texts are considered to be specific doculects, which might, or might not, be the 'same' language as described in other resources (e.g. grammars or spontaneous text collections).

    2014, Silvia Luraghi, Heiko Narrog, Perspectives on Semantic Roles, →ISBN, page 26

    The most extreme case is illustrated by the doculect of McDonald and Wurm (1979), in which their consultant was being interviewed for materials in Garlali, but he preferred to speak Punthamara, so that is what he gave them.

    2015, Claire Bowern, Linguistic Fieldwork: A Practical Guide, →ISBN, page 100

Origin

Blend of document + -lect, coined by American linguist Jeff Good in 2006.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

doculect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doculect

MLA

“doculect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doculect. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “doculect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doculect.

Source: doculect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.