DIALECTICS DIAMOND. 



the formation of a general language, each dialect 

 was developed independently of the others, until 

 some event gave to one the ascendency. In Greece, 

 we find four distinct dialects ; the Ionic, Attic, 

 Doric, and JEolic ; each of which gave birth to li- 

 terary productions still extant, until at last the greater 

 refinement, ami the cultivation of arts and sciences 

 in Athens, gave the Attic dialect the superiority. 



It is a great mistake to consider dialects as some- 

 thing to be rooted out like noxious weeds ; for, if 

 they are independent varieties of a common lan- 

 guage, not mere corruptions of a language already 

 settled, they always retain many beauties, which 

 would not exist without them ; many peculiarities, 

 which often afford a great insight into the language, 

 to a judicious philologist. No one, who has studied 

 the peculiarities of the Provengal, the Low-German, 

 or the Allemannic dialects, or the Neapolitan, with its 

 many remnants of the Greek, would wish to put an 

 end to their existence. Dialects resemble rebels 

 against lawful authority, until the stamp of legiti- 

 macy is impressed upon them by a great man or 

 great event. 



Italian was once -the vulgar dialect; and, even 

 now, to 'translate into Italian is called volgarizzare. 

 It was corrupt Latin mixed with barbarous words de- 

 rived from the idioms of the conquerors of the coun- 

 try, and was used at first only by the lower classes ; 

 it then became the general dialect of common life ; 

 and, at last, the giant mind of Dante dared to sing 

 in the " vulgar dialect," and to stamp it as a legiti- 

 mate language.* 



Portuguese was a corrupted dialect of Spanish, 

 until Portugal separated from Spain, and dared to 

 uphold its dialect as an independent language. 



In Germany, no dialect has ever obtained entire 

 ascendency. Much was once written in Low-Ger- 

 man, and the activity of the Hanseatic league, and 

 the wide extent to which it was spoken, gave it 

 much influence. Charles V., born at Ghent, spoke 

 Low-German ; but Luther's translation of the Bible, 

 like Dante's Divina Commedia, made High-German 

 the literary language. Since that time, it has 

 changed very much, and has acquired, in many re- 

 spects, a development of its own. It is a great 

 mistake, common among foreigners, to consider 

 Saxon as the Castilian or Tuscan dialect of Germany 

 because Luther was born in Saxony. On the con- 

 trary, the Saxon dialect is one of the most disagree- 

 able to a German ear, and deviates much from the 

 modern High-German. Only the fundamental 

 cliaracteristic of the language of Upper-Germany 

 have remained in High-German. In other respects, 

 it has developed itself independently of any provin- 

 cial dialect. 



In England, there are but two great dialects, Eng- 

 lish and Scottish ; yet it has often neen observed that 

 no country has more variations from the common li- 

 terary language. Every county has its peculiarities, 

 which are sometimes striking and difficult to be un- 

 derstood. On the other hand, there never has 

 existed a country so vast, and a population so large 

 as that of America, with so little variety of dialect 

 which is owing to the quick and constant communi- 

 cation between the different parts of the country 

 and the roving spirit of the people, the great mass 

 of whom, besides, derive their descent from the 

 same stock. 



DIALECTICS ; the old name of logic, or the art 

 of reasoning (from Ita*.iyi<r6<ti , to speak), because 

 thought and reasoning are expressed by speech, anc 

 thus were first manifested, and the mind naturally 



It must be observed, that Neapolitan was written eyen 

 before Tuscan ; bat Dante's greatness made the Tuscan a. 

 once the standard dialect. 



proceeds from the obvious to the remote, from the 

 >articular to the general. Logic (q. v.) was early 

 denominated, in conformity with this name, the 

 art of speaking or disputing. By dialectician, we 

 understand a teacher of dialectics, or one who under- 

 tands the art of logical disputation. 



DIALOGUE ; a conversation or conference be- 

 ween two or more persons. The word is particu- 

 arly used in reference to theatrical performances, 

 and to written conversations, or a composition in 

 which two or more persons are represented as inter- 

 changing ideas on a given topic. The ancient philo- 

 sophers, especially the Greeks, from their peculiar vi- 

 vacity, were fond of this form ; they used it for the 

 communication of their investigations on scientific 

 subjects. The dialogues of Plato are a sort of philo- 

 sophical dramas. The Socratic dialogue (so called) 

 consists of questions and answers, and the person 

 questioned is obliged, by successively assenting to 

 the interrogatories put to him, to come to the con- 

 clusions which the questioner wishes to produce. 

 This dialogue supposes in the interrogator a thorough 

 inowledge of human nature in general, and of the 

 jerson questioned in particular. The dialogue is now 

 much used for verbal instruction. The philosophical 

 dialogue seems but little adapted to our manners, and 

 ;he present improved state of the sciences ; and, 

 being written, of course, with the view of establishing 

 certain positions, the objections raised are only such 

 as can be readily answered, and thereby assist in 

 establishing the desired conclusions ; but are not al- 

 ways such as present themselves to the reader, who is 

 often dissatisfied with the result, because his own 

 doubts are not settled. Erasmus of Rotterdam, and 

 subsequently, among the Germans, Lessing, Moses 

 Mendelssohn, Engel, Herder, Jacobi, Solger, have 

 written in this form. In comic and satiric dialogue, 

 Wieland has imitated the satirist Lucian. Among 

 the most distinguished Italian writers of dialogue are 

 Petrarca (De vera Sapientia), Machiavelli, Gelli, 

 Algarotti and Gozzi ; and among the French, Sar- 

 rassin, Malebranche, Fenelon : Fontenelle and St 

 Mard imitated Lucian, and. among the English, 

 bishop Berkeley and Kurd have imitated Plato, and 

 Harris, Cicero. Lord Lyttelton's dialogues of the 

 dead, and Addison's dialogues on medals, are well 

 known. Landor's imaginary conversations of lite- 

 rary men and statesmen (London, 1826) attracted 

 some attention. If the conversation gives rise to 

 action, then the drama is produced. In the drama, 

 the dialogue, in a narrower sense, is opposed to mo- 

 nologue or soliloquy ; in the opera, it is that which is 

 spoken, in opposition to that which is sung. See 

 Drama. 



DIAMETER ; the straight line drawn through the 

 centre of a circle, and touching the two opposite 

 points of the circumference. It thus divides the cir- 

 cle into two equal parts, and is the greatest chord. 

 The radius is half this diameter, and consequently 

 the space comprehended between the centre and cir- 

 cumference of a circle. (For the magnitude of the 

 diameter, in comparison with the circumference, see 

 Circle.) 



DIAMOND ; the hardest and most valuable of ah 1 

 the gems. To the account of the diamond already 

 given in the article Carbon, we will only add at pre- 

 sent, that diamonds are of various colours ; but the 

 colourless, which is the sort mostly used in the arts, 

 is, when pure, perfectly clear, and pellucid as the purest 

 water. Hence the phrases, the water of a diamond, 

 a diamond of the finest water, &c. The colourless 

 diamonds are not, however, the most common. The 

 rarest colours are blue, pink, and dark brown ; but 

 yellow diamonds, when the colour is clear and equal 

 throughout, are very beautiful, and much valued. 



