folk linguistics

noun

Beliefs held by speakers about their language or language more generally; the study of these beliefs.

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Meanings

nounfolk linguistics (uncountable)
  1. uncountableBeliefs held by speakers about their language or language more generally; the study of these beliefs.

    In light of the findings from early research in social psychology, research in folk linguistics has also examined the social characteristics that non-experts associate with regional linguistic variation.

    2014, Susan Tamasi, Lamont Antieau, Language and Linguistic Diversity in the US, Routledge, →ISBN, page 56
Cite this entry
APA

folk linguistics. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folk%20linguistics

MLA

“folk linguistics.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folk%20linguistics. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “folk linguistics,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folk%20linguistics.

Source: folk linguistics on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.