A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech or writing. Colloquialisms can include words (such as "gonna" or "grouty"), phrases (such as "ain't nothin'" and "dead as a doornail"), or sometimes even an entire aphorism ("There's more than one way to skin a cat"). Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. Colloquialisms are often used primarily within a limited geographical area. One might be looking for the academic discipline of communications. ... Aphorism (From the Greek αφοριζειν, to define), literally a distinction or a definition (See the Online Etymology Dictionary entry), is a term used to describe a principle expressed tersely in a few telling words or any general truth conveyed in a short and pithy sentence, in such a way that when...

In some areas, overuse of colloquialisms by native speakers is regarded as a sign of substandard ability with the language. However, in the mouth of a non-native speaker, they are sometimes taken as signaling unusual facility with the language as they may be more difficult for non-native speakers to understand. First language (native language, mother tongue) is the language a person learns first. ...

A colloquialism can sometimes make its way into otherwise formal speech, as a sign that the speaker is comfortable with his or her audience, in contrast to slang, which if used in formal speech is more likely done so consciously for humorous effect.

Words that have a formal meaning may also have a colloquial meaning that, while technically incorrect, is recognizeable due to common usage.

See also

• Slang
• Jargon
• Idiom
• Variety (linguistics)

Slang, is the non-standard or non-dialectal use of words in a language of a particular social group, and sometimes the creation of new words or importation of words from another language. ... Jargon is a type of terminology which is used in conjunction with a specific activity, e. ... An idiom is an expression (ie. ... A variety of a language is a form that differs from other forms of the language systematically and coherently. ...

External link

• Figures of Speech - It Figures