One usage—the more common among linguists—refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class. A dialect that is associated with a particular social class can be termed a sociolect, a dialect that is associated with a particular ethnic group can be termed as ethnolect, and a regional dialect may be termed a regiolect. According to this definition, any variety of a language constitutes "a dialect", including any standard varieties.
What is the common definition of dialect? What is the term dialect most often applied to? Aside from region, what is an example of a factor that may influence dialect? What is a term for a dialect particular to a social class? What do you call a dialect particular to a certain ethnicity?