a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
<noun.communication> they don't speak our lingo
a regional dialect of a language (especially French); usually considered substandard
<noun.communication>
Patois \Pa`tois"\ (p[.a]`tw[aum]"), n. [F.] A dialect peculiar to the illiterate classes; a provincial form of speech.
The jargon and patois of several provinces. --Sir T. Browne.
Mandarin Chinese replaced Taiwanese dialect in the classroom and students were fined if they spoke the local patois.
They developed their own Malay-based patois. There are still plenty of Peranakan in Malacca today.
The U.S. military barred the media from covering Hope's shows, saying his repertoire "could be exploited by the Iraqis for propaganda purposes," but Hope delivered some of his patois at a news conference on Tuesday morning.
She offered to take the person who submitted the best entry to lunch in the White House mess, which, outside of the Pentagon, is one of the best places in Washington to hear bureaucratic patois.