dialect

1. a variety of a language that is associated with a particular geographical region, social class, or ethnic group and has its own characteristic words, grammatical forms, and pronunciation. Dialects of a language are generally mutually intelligible. Compare accent; register.

2. among nonhuman animals, a variant of the standard form of communication that is specific to a population or a geographical region. For example, cardinals in different parts of North America have regional differences in song. —dialectal adj.

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Psychology term of the day

February 23rd 2025

dogmatism

1. the tendency to act in a blindly certain, assertive, and authoritative manner in accordance with a strongly held set of beliefs.

2. a personality trait characterized by this tendency. The belief system of such an individual is strongly held and resistant to change. Nevertheless, it often contains elements that are isolated from one another and thus may contradict one another. See Rokeach Dogmatism Scale. [first proposed by U.S. psychologist Milton Rokeach (1918–1988)] —dogmatic adj.