dialect

noun, often attributive

di·a·lect | \ ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt

Definition of dialect

1 linguistics

a : a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language the Doric dialect of ancient Greek a dialect of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong

b : one of two or more cognate (see cognate entry 1 sense 3a) languages French and Italian are Romance dialects

c : a variety of a language used by the members of a group such dialects as politics and advertising— Philip Howard

d : a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (such as social class) spoke a rough peasant dialect

e : register sense 4c

f : a version of a computer programming language

2 : manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology

Other Words from dialect Synonyms Dialectic: Logic Through Conversation Example Sentences Learn More about dialect

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Other Words from dialect

dialectal \ ˌdī-ə-ˈlek-tᵊl

\ adjective

dialectally \ ˌdī-ə-ˈlek-tə-lē

\ adverb

Dialectic: Logic Through Conversation

Dialectic is a term used in philosophy, and the fact that it is closely connected to the ideas of Socrates and Plato is completely logical—even from an etymological point of view. Plato’s famous dialogues frequently presented Socrates playing a leading role, and dialogue comes from the Greek roots dia- (“through” or “across”) and -logue (“discourse” or “talk”). Dialect and dialectic come from dialecktos (“conversation” or “dialect”) and ultimately back to the Greek word dialegesthai, meaning “to converse.”

Conversation or dialogue was indeed at the heart of the “Socratic method,” through which Socrates would ask probing questions which cumulatively revealed his students’ unsupported assumptions and misconceptions. The goal, according to the definition in our Unabridged Dictionary, was to “elicit a clear and consistent expression of something supposed to be implicitly known by all rational beings.”

Other philosophers had specific uses of the term dialectic, including Aristotelianism, Stoicism, Kantianism, Hegelianism, and Marxism. Asking a series of questions was considered by Socrates a method of “giving birth” to the truth, and a related word, maieutic, defined as “relating to or resembling the Socratic method of eliciting new ideas from another,” comes from the Greek word meaning “of midwifery.”

Examples of dialect in a Sentence

They speak a southern dialect of French. The author uses dialect in his writing. The play was hard to understand when the characters spoke in dialect.

Recent Examples on the Web

The production is directed by Jeffrey Lo and also stars TheatreWorks veterans Francis Jue and Emily Kuroda as a couple who are the last people who speak a soon-to-disappear dialect. — Randy Mcmullen, The Mercury News, "TheatreWorks opens 50th season with bittersweet ‘Language Archive’," 5 July 2019 As many as 200,000 Cree live in Canada, though not all of them speak a dialect of the language, according to Arok Wolvengrey, professor of Algonquian languages and linguistics at First Nations University of Canada in Regina, Saskatchewan. — Zlati Meyer, USA TODAY, "Holy mayo! Heinz's new condiment Mayochup includes a bad word," 4 June 2019 Speaking a bizarre family dialect to each other, brother and sister never seem to talk about anything that matters. — Tim Parks, Harper's magazine, "Behind the High Walls," 10 Feb. 2019 These reviews help make voice recognition systems more inclusive of different accents and dialects across languages. — Colin Lecher, The Verge, "Google will pause listening to EU voice recordings while regulators investigate," 1 Aug. 2019 Sailors learn each other’s languages and develop hybrid dialects. — The Economist, "Born 200 years ago, Herman Melville was globalisation’s first great bard," 18 July 2019 The white majority participating in wearing dreads or cornrows or overexaggerating the black dialect are just a few examples of how people of color aren’t taken seriously. — High School Journalism Institute, oregonlive.com, "Student voices: Diverse perspectives, diverse faces," 17 July 2019 The place has its own dialect and shadowy, suspicious ways. — John Domini, Dallas News, "An Italian teenager meets the family she didn't know existed in 'A Girl Returned'," 1 July 2019 The account even pokes fun at the dialect of Californians and has garnered more than 14,000 followers. — Maureen Bohannon, azcentral, "Phoenix economic group looks to lure Californians to Arizona with #CAStruggles campaign," 13 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dialect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for dialect

dialect

noun

English Language Learners Definition of dialect

: a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations

See the full definition for dialect in the English Language Learners Dictionary

dialect

noun

di·a·lect | \ ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt

Kids Definition of dialect

: a form of a language that is spoken in a certain region or by a certain group

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dialect

Definition of dialect

Other Words from dialect

Synonyms for dialect

Dialectic: Logic Through Conversation

Examples of dialect in a Sentence

First Known Use of dialect

History and Etymology for dialect

English Language Learners Definition of dialect

Kids Definition of dialect

dialect

Definition of dialect

Other Words from dialect

Synonyms for dialect

Dialectic: Logic Through Conversation

Examples of dialect in a Sentence

First Known Use of dialect

History and Etymology for dialect

English Language Learners Definition of dialect

Kids Definition of dialect

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