When do two people speak different versions of the same language, and when do they speak totally different languages? Come help me draw the line between languages and dialects. We'll take a look across time (history) and space (geography) to poke at the kinds of characteristics that could help us tell dialects and languages apart. Ideally, it would be nice and tidy if we could distinguish them just by looking at the "language stuff" - words, pronunciation, etc. Okay, that works for English and Chinese. But many real-world examples will make it hard on us. Old English and Modern English? Scottish English and British English? Norwegian and Swedish? Chinese dialects? When all else fails, we'll remember a witty quip passed along by Max Weinreich, and factor in things like politics and social conventions. Please subscribe or browse the other videos on my channel to learn more about language and thought! Music by nativlang