2013 UTC Not just difficult impossible Some contributions to that discussion hinge on distinguishing a language from a dialect a distinction without scientific basis To quote Dialect Dialect or language refs flags deleted text abridged bolding added my comments italicized in square brackets There is no universally accepted criterion for distinguishing a language from a dialect A number of rough measures exist sometimes leading to contradictory results Some linguists do not differentiate between languages and dialects i e languages are dialects and vice versa The distinction is therefore subjective and depends on the user s frame of reference Note also that the terms are not always treated as mutually exclusive Language varieties are often called dialects rather than languages four causes listed Anthropological linguists define dialect as the specific form of a language used by a speech community From this perspective everyone speaks a dialect Those who identify a particular dialect as the standard or proper version of a language are seeking to make a social distinction The status of language is not solely determined by linguistic criteria but it is also the result of a historical and political development Examples See also Dialect continuum 04 46 13 July