Patois (
, pl. same or ) is any language that is considered
nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in
linguistics. It can refer to
pidgins,
creoles,
dialects, and other forms of native or local speech, but not commonly to
jargon or
slang, which are vocabulary-based forms of
cant. Class distinctions are embedded in the term, drawn between those who speak patois and those who speak the standard or dominant language used in literature and public speaking, i.e., the "
acrolect".