• n. 方言，土話；同源語；行話；個人用語特征
• adj. 方言的

dia-, 穿過，相互。-lect, 說，詞源同lecture, legible. 即人與人之的對話交流，后用來指區域性的語言，即方言。

dialect

dialect: [16] The notion underlying dialect and its relatives dialectic [14] and dialogue [13] is of ‘conversation’. They come ultimately from Greek dialégesthai ‘converse’, a compound verb formed from the prefix dia- ‘with each other’ and légein ‘speak’ (source of English lecture and a wide range of related words). This formed the basis of two derived nouns.

First diálektos ‘conversation, discourse’, hence ‘way of speaking’ and eventually ‘local speech’, which passed into English via Latin dialectus and Old French dialecte (from it was produced the adjective dialektikós ‘of conversation, discussion, or debate’, which was eventually to become English dialectic). Secondly diálogos ‘conversation’, which again reached English via Latin and Old French.
=> lecture

dialect (n.)

1570s, "form of speech of a region or group," from Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectus "local language, way of speaking, conversation," from Greek dialektos "talk, conversation, speech;" also "the language of a country, dialect," from dialegesthai "converse with each other," from dia- "across, between" (see dia-) + legein "speak" (see lecture (n.)).

1. In the fifties, many Italians spoke only local dialect.

在20世紀50年代，許多意大利人只會說當地方言。

來自柯林斯例句

2. Cockney is the colourful dialect spoken in the East End of London.

倫敦方言是在倫敦東區講的頗有特色的地方語.

來自《現代漢英綜合大詞典》

3. He wrote a play in a local dialect.

他用當地方言寫了一個劇本.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

4. After all these years she had reverted to her Veneto dialect and nobody could understand what she was saying.

這么多年后，她又開始講威尼托方言，沒有人能聽懂她的話。

來自柯林斯例句

5. The dialect is spoken principally in the rural areas.

這種方言主要在農村地區使用。

來自辭典例句