focal area

American  

noun

Linguistics.

1. (in dialect geography) an area whose dialect has exerted influence on the dialects of surrounding areas, as reflected in a set of isoglosses more or less concentrically surrounding it.

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Example Sentences

North Texas has been a focal area for the investigation into the riot, with more than a dozen area residents having been charged in the federal investigation.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2022

Inflation is “currently the main focal area for the markets,” Fawad Razaqzada of ThinkMarkets said in a report.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2021

But defeated Germany was something more than a nation to be held down: it was also a focal area in the never-ending contest for power in Europe, and the world.*

From Time Magazine Archive

Eight or ten minutes afterwards there was another slip—in what part of the fault is uncertain—and this was followed at irregular intervals by many small movements gradually diminishing in frequency and in focal area.

From A Study of Recent Earthquakes by Davison, Charles

Beyond the important focal area of St. Helena they relied mainly on their own power of resistance or to such escort as could be provided by the relief ships of the East Indian station.

From Some Principles of Maritime Strategy by Corbett, Julian S. (Julian Stafford)