dia-

A commonly used PREFIX, derived from the term DIALECT, and used in LINGUISTIC studies whenever a dialectal frame of reference is required. Dialinguistics is sometimes used to refer to the study of the range of dialects and LANGUAGES used in a speech community. A diatype is a term used by some SOCIOLINGUISTS to refer to a VARIETY of language defined according to its use or purpose. It thus contrasts with dialect, which is a variety defined in terms of regional or social groups of users. Alternative terms include VARIETY and REGISTER. A diasystem is a network of FORMAL relationships which shows the common linguistic SYSTEM assumed to underlie two or more dialects, as a frame-work for displaying their STRUCTURAL differences. The notation used for this purpose includes formulae which display structural correspondence, e.g.

etc., where X and Y are the names of two areas, ~ indicates a contrast which is relevant for one dialect only, ≈ for two (or more) dialects. Within such a framework, diasystemic UNITS can be identified: a diaphone is an abstract PHONOLOGICAL unit set up to identify an equivalence between the sound system of different dialects, e.g. the diaphone /ei/, as in English mate, is realized as [ei], [ai] etc.; a diamorph displays equivalences between MORPHOLOGICAL units; and so on.

مواضيع ذات صلة

Word sharing and dialects: Dialects generally borrow from dialects

Dialects—Where Do You Draw the Line?

The standard

Koinés

Externally motivated change

Chain shifts

Changes to make life easier

Systemic changes

Weakening of intervocalic unvoiced stops

Simplification of consonant clusters

Assimilation

Reduction/loss of unstressed vowels