Like little thing spoken in patois (7)
I believe the answer is:
lilting
'like little' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'thing spoken in patois' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'in' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lilting that I've seen before include "With light rhythm, pleasant accent" , "Sing-song" .)