dialect

noun, often attributive di·a·lect \ ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Editor's Note: Dialectic: Logic through Conversation

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 ¹cognate 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 4c

f : a version of a computer programming language

2 : manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology

—

dialectal

play \ˌdī-ə-ˈlek-tᵊl\ adjective

—

dialectally

play \-tə-lē\ adverb

See dialect defined for English-language learners

See dialect defined for kids

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 of dialect from the Web

Of course, the language of each state differs because of population and dialects.

— johnny diaz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "No see ums, hot minute and cher: What are the top slang words in Florida and the U.S.?," 28 June 2018
My last Italian project, Gomorrah, adds subtitles, in Italy, because the dialect is Neapolitan.

— brian davids, The Hollywood Reporter, "Why 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado' Director Didn't Consult with Denis Villeneuve on the Sequel," 27 June 2018
The regional dialect is Celtic, from the region's first inhabitants.

— matt hranek, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Ultimate Brittany Road Trip," 20 June 2018
He was hired away from the Associated Press while covering the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba, where his proficiency in speaking Spanish with a Cuban dialect proved vital.

— jaclyn peiser, BostonGlobe.com, "Richard Valeriani, 85, NBC newsman and former co-anchor of ‘Today’," 26 June 2018
The revelation from Atwood led Gadon to work with a dialect coach to match her words to the way Liddiard would say them in character.

— sonia saraiya, HWD, "A Look Beneath the Veil of Alias Grace’s Showstopping Hypnotism," 25 June 2018
For the traditional Frankfurt fare, go to Atschel, magpie in local dialect.

— nina adam, WSJ, "Frankfurt: A Business Traveler’s Guide," 22 June 2018
He was hired away from The Associated Press while covering the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba, where his proficiency in speaking Spanish with a Cuban dialect proved vital.

— kansascity, "Journalists, sports figures and an endearing gorilla leave us," 22 June 2018
Director Yann Demange says McConaughey had to immerse himself into the role, working with a dialect coach to master the Detroit accent and dispensing with his normal McConaughey glow.

— bryan alexander, USA TODAY, "See Matthew McConaughey fail tragically as a dad in exclusive 'White Boy Rick' trailer," 4 June 2018

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.

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.”