διάλεκτος

Forms

δῐᾰ́λεκτος (diálektos) f (genitive δῐᾰλέκτου); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is a noun from Ancient Greek διαλέγομαι (dialégomai, “to converse, discuss”), formed with the verbal suffix -τος (-tos).^[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first sense, speech or conversation, appears in the Hippocratic writings and in Plato.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

Plato uses it for discourse between gods and men and for discussion as opposed to quarrelling.^[5][2][3] Aristotle uses it for articulate speech, the shaping of the voice by the tongue, and for the ordinary language of conversation; he notes that human beings have one voice but many languages.^[5][7][3] Demosthenes uses it for a way of speaking or an accent.^[5]

From Polybius on it meant the language of a country or people, and the grammarians and Stoics used it for a regional variety of Greek such as Ionic or Attic.^[5][3] In Acts it is used of the language of the people of Jerusalem.^[7] It was borrowed as Latin dialectos.^[8] Modern Greek διάλεκτος (diálektos) is a learned word for a dialect, a regional variety not counted as a separate language.^[9][3]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – The Hippocratic writings use it for speaking.^[4][5]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for conversation and discussion.^[5][2]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for articulate speech and for language.^[5][3]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it for the language of a people.^[5][3]
• 1st century BC – Dionysius of Halicarnassus uses it for a Greek dialect.^[5]
• Modern Greek – The learned διάλεκτος (diálektos) means a dialect.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. Discourse, conversation; discussion or debate.^[5][2][4]
2. The common language of talk; articulate speech.^[5][2]
3. A way of speaking, an accent or tone; a style or diction.^[5][2]
4. The language of a country or region; a dialect of Greek.^[5][2][7]
5. A local word or expression.^[5][2]

Related words

• διαλέγομαι (dialégomai)
• διαλεκτικός (dialektikós)
• Latin dialectos

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
4. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b c Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
8. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki