Difference between a language and a dialect

[bens_dad]

The UK and the USA both have army and navy, so how do they share a language (we don't even call them different dialects) ?

Same goes for these two plus Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and I believe for France and Canada ?

Comments

[armiphlage]

Well, Canadian English is not quite the same as either UK or USA English, different enough that Microsoft has a Canadian English setting.
And Quebecois and Acadian are nearly unintelligible to someone from France.

[bens_dad]

Quebecois and Acadian are nearly unintelligible to someone from France.

I knew a girl from USA who had spent several years in France who was then summoned as a witness in Quebec
and thought she would be OK, but ended up needing an interpreter.