A
pluricentric language or
polycentric language is a language with several
standard versions. It is a language with several centres, each providing a national variety with at least some of its own (codified) norms. Generally, pluricentric languages are used across the boundaries of individual political entities, so that the language and the ethnic identity of its
native speakers do not coincide. Examples include
English,
French,
Portuguese,
German,
Persian,
Korean,
Serbo-Croatian,
Swahili,
Swedish,
Spanish,
Arabic,
Armenian,
Bengali,
Hindustani,
Malay, and
Chinese. Since the national varieties of pluricentric languages are standardised, they cannot be described as
dialects.