A language is a dialect with an army and navy 什么意思

很遗憾地，上面两位都答错了。
让我告诉你正确答案:
A language is a dialect with an army and navy
这是一句在争论语言和方言区别时常用的格言，意思是：“语言不过是有军队陆军海军的方言”。话说得真透彻！这等于告诉我们，语言和方言没有什么区别！谁掌握了军队，就有话语权，就可以把一种方言定义为语言！

详情可以参见wiki

"A language is a dialect with an army and navy" is one of the most frequently used aphorisms in the discussion of the distinction between dialect and language. It points out the influence that political conditions can have over a community's perception of the status of a language or dialect. The aphorism is often incorrectly attributed to the Yiddish linguist Max Weinreich, who published but did not coin it.

一种语言是陆军和海军的方言

一 种语言就是一种有陆军海军的方言。
是指语言的差异就像陆军和海军的差异，大同小异