Re: OT: Conlangism: 'lect

Quoting Estel Telcontar <estel_telcontar@...>:

> I just noticed that the word 'lect as a cover term for idiolect/dialect
> etc. seems to be a conlangism - all the google hits I could find for
> the relevant meaning were conlang-related.  It's a good word to have.
Drop the apostrophe, and the AHD recognizes it with the definition "[a] social
or regional variety of speech having a sociolinguistic or functional identity
within a speech community." I doubt it would have ended up there if it was only
found in conlanger's jargon.

The corresponding Swedish form, _lekt_, is, FWIW, used in the wider linguistics
community.

Possibly the leading apostrophe is a conlang-specific affectation.

                                                       Andreas