# A language is a dialect with an army and a navy. (Username poll) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667 "2007-10-23T05:06:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/41 "2007-10-24T19:06:21Z")
**Jaw Jaw makes War War** ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/42 "2007-10-24T19:17:26Z")
**Commander-in-Chief of the Dialect**. **CNCD** for short. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/43 "2007-10-24T22:59:42Z")
**Battleship Verb** ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/44 "2007-10-24T23:07:46Z")
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable] I think **DLZ** would be a perfectly handy shortening, no? [/QUOTE] Well, I hate acronyms. Phooey, acronyms! Stupid things, with their capital letters and flouting of the lingual beauty of fully written forms! Screw you, acronyms. I honestly didn’t think of using an acronym, because I think of them as something you use for concepts rather than people. ---
**Author:** ![GawnFishin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GawnFishin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GawnFishin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/45 "2007-10-24T23:47:32Z")
**colonel dialectus** , ‘colonel’ implies military so on and so forth. You may even wish to try and capitalize this time. **Colonel Dialectus** or even **General Dialectus**. ETA: Would ‘General Dialectus’ translate to ‘common language’? ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/46 "2007-10-25T02:22:22Z")
Of your two choices, as requested: Dialect Soldier. It reads and sounds better. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/47 "2007-10-25T02:31:12Z")
I have actually started playing BZFlag as “Hostile Dialect”, and may well go with that here. I like the look and sound of it, and it’s a little more indirect and clever than my two original suggestions. However, I appreciate the other creative suggestions and the posters, like **Creaky** , who made an effort to answer the question as specifically asked too. The jury is still out, so keep 'em comin. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/48 "2007-10-25T03:01:42Z")
Hannibal Dialector ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/49 "2007-10-25T03:06:01Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] …I appreciate the other creative suggestions and the posters, like **Creaky** , who made an effort to answer the question as specifically asked too… [/QUOTE] Thank you, my dear. I try to refrain from being funny when a serious answer is requested. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/50 "2007-10-25T06:53:24Z")
> [@](#): > > I try to refrain from being funny when a serious answer is requested. Since when is “help me choose which pun I’m going to use as my screen name” a request requiring serious answers? ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/51 "2007-10-25T07:23:13Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Since when is “help me choose which pun I’m going to use as my screen name” a request requiring serious answers? [/QUOTE] Hey, I’m just a serious, un-funny kinda gal! Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667/52 "2007-10-25T08:21:43Z")
**fetus** , ignore all those other suggestions. This is the Dope. You want to be our very own **Dialect Squid**! Just think how popular you’ll be in your very own squid suit at the initiations! Yes, you’ll have to clean the suit yourself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-language-is-a-dialect-with-an-army-and-a-navy-username-poll/423667.md?page=2)