What is the definition of colloquial language?

1 Answer
Jan 6, 2017

Colloquial language is informal, spoken language.

Explanation:

It's the way you speak to friends or family members without giving any thought to what you are saying, as opposed to formal, spoken or written language that you probably DO have to think about. It is not bad or vulgar language.

Some examples of colloquial speech:
"Hey, how's it goin'?"
"What're ya up to?"
"How ya been?"
"Whazzup?" (Is this more slang than colloquial, perhaps?)
"Good to see ya."
"How're the kids doin'?"
"Whatcha doin' this weekend?"
"to Google something"
"Hey, check this out!"

Examples of more formal speech/writing:
"Hello. How are you? How has your day been?"
"It's good to see you again."
"How have your children been?"
"What are you doing this weekend?"
"to search for a topic on Google"
"Say, have a look at this, will you?"

And colloquial speech will vary depending on what region of the country a person comes from.

When I Googled the word "colloquial" I found a lotta sites you can check out :
http://literarydevices.net/colloquialism/
http://softschools.com/examples/literary_terms/colloquialism_examples/252/
http://www.colloquialismexamples.com/