multidialectalismn.
/ˌmʌltɪdʌɪəˈlɛktlɪz(ə)m/, U.S. /ˈˌməltiˌdaɪəˈlɛktəˌlɪz(ə)m/; see also multi- comb. form. Proficiency in speaking or understanding two or more dialects.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > a language > dialect > [noun] > proficiency in or advocacy of different dialects
bidialectism1959
multidialectalism1971
1971 Language 47 194 They show..that command of heterogeneous structure is not a matter of multidialectalism or performance, but a necessary part of unilingual linguistic competence.
1975 Amer. Speech 1972 47 290 Kurath accepts multidialectalism as a linguistic fact.
1994 J. Edwards Multilingualism vi. 146 Wherever languages and dialects co-exist—wherever, that is, one sees multilingualism or multidialectalism—the elements of linguistic struggle are present.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1971