idiolect (n.)

A term used in LINGUISTICS to refer to the linguistic SYSTEM of an individual speaker – one’s personal DIALECT. A dialect can be seen as an abstraction deriving from the analysis of a large number of idiolects. Idiolectal features are particularly noticeable in literary writing, as STYLISTIC markers of authorship. Some linguists give the term a more restricted definition, referring to the speech habits of a person as displayed in a particular VARIETY at a given time.