This chapter presents commonly used terms in the study of postcolonialism. The terms listed begin with the alphabet “V”. Detailed explanation is provided for the term, vernacular. It includes the origin of the term; a detailed explanation of its perceived meaning; and examples of the term's use in literary‐cultural texts. During colonial rule the native languages were often derisively labelled vernaculars. The European languages became the dominant ones in law, trade and politics although the colonials had to take recourse to native languages, translators and interpreters in order to engage with the subject races. Native elites accepted the colonial master's language as a means of social mobility into the new structures of power and for the entrenchment of their social authority. Debates about mother‐tongue/vernacular versus English/European languages abound in Asia, Africa and South America. The debates revolve around two positions in postcolonial cultures.