Longman Dictionary of

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difficulty order
difficulty order n
see ACCURACY ORDER
difficulty parameter n
see B-PARAMETER
diglossia n
when two languages or language varieties exist side by side in a community
and each one is used for different purposes, this is called diglossia.
Usually, one is a more standard variety called the High variety or
H-variety, which is used in government, the media, education, and for
religious services. The other one is usually a non-prestige variety called
the Low-variety or L-variety, which is used in the family, with friends,
when shopping, etc.
An example of diglossia can be found in the German speaking part of
Switzerland, where the H(igh) variety is a form of standard German
(Hochdeutsch) and the L(ow) variety is called Schwyzertüütsch, which is
a range of regional Swiss dialects. Other countries where diglossia exists
are, for example, Haiti and the Arab nations.
see also BILINGUALISM, MULTILINGUALISM, CODE SELECTION
diminutive n
(in MORPHOLOGY) a form which has an AFFIX with the meaning of “little”,
“small”, etc. For example, in Spanish –ito/-ita in besito (“a little kiss”)
and mesita (“a little table”) or English, -let as in piglet and starlet, and -
ling as in duckling.
d-index n
see ITEM DISCRIMINATION
diphthongize v
diphthong n diphthongal adj
a vowel in which there is a change in quality during a single syllable, as
in the English words boy, buy, bow. Diphthongs can be analyzed as a
sequence of two vowels or as VOWEL GLIDE.
direct access n
see ACCESS
directional hypothesis n
see ONE-TAILED TEST
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