dialectal

American  

[dahy-uh-lek-tl] / ˌdaɪ əˈlɛk tl /

adjective

1. of a dialect.

2. characteristic of a dialect.

---

Commonly Confused

In linguistics dialectal, not dialectical, is the term more commonly used to denote regional or social language variation: Dialectal variation is more marked in the South than elsewhere in the United States. In general writing either term may be found.

Other Word Forms

• dialectally adverb
• interdialectal adjective
• interdialectally adverb
• nondialectal adjective
• nondialectally adverb
• subdialectal adjective
• subdialectally adverb

Etymology

Origin of dialectal

First recorded in 1825–35; dialect + -al ¹

Example Sentences

This is a challenge, given the enormous dialectal diversity of colloquial Arabic.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2015

What is missing is a constituency for cultural production in dialectal Arabic.

From The New Yorker • May 30, 2014

Why Disney decided to abandon dialectal Arabic for “Frozen” is perplexing, and the reaction has been mixed.

From The New Yorker • May 30, 2014

Her prep work also includes researching dialectal signs to ensure accuracy and authenticity.

From Slate • Jun. 21, 2013

If churn is anywhere dialectal for churr, it must have come from the common mistake of substituting a familiar for an unknown word: and this is the worst way of making homophones.

From Society for Pure English, Tract 05 The Englishing of French Words; the Dialectal Words in Blunden's Poems by Society for Pure English