Dialóg

Dialóg refers to a form of communication consisting of an exchange of spoken or written utterances between two or more participants. It is a core element of conversation, literature, drama, and philosophy, used to explore ideas, reveal character, and advance narrative. The word derives from the Greek dialogos, from dia- “through” and logos “speech.”

In drama and fiction, dialóg is the spoken text of characters. It carries plot, reveals motives, and creates tempo and tension. A contrast is monologue, where a single speaker talks at length, often addressing an audience or other characters. Dialogue can be direct or reported, and may alternate between speakers to shape pace.

Types include dramatic dialogue in plays and films; Socratic dialogue, a method of philosophical examination built on questioning; and narrative or inner dialogue in prose, where thoughts resemble dialogue or are expressed through stream-of-consciousness techniques. In translation, preserving natural dialogue while conveying meaning is a central concern.

In linguistics, dialogue analysis examines turn-taking, adjacency pairs, topic management, overlap, and repairs in conversational structure. In technology, dialogue systems or chatbots aim to simulate human conversation using natural language processing and dialogue management, with applications in customer service, virtual assistants, and education.

Dialóg thus intersects language, literature, philosophy, and computer science, reflecting how people communicate, reason together, and tell stories.