dialogist

A dialogist is a person who writes or participates in dialogue. In literary contexts, the term often denotes a writer whose work foregrounds conversation, whether as a playwright, a novelist employing multiple voices, or a narrator who renders speech for others. The concept is central to theories of dialogism, which hold that meaning emerges through interactions among speakers rather than from a single authoritative voice.

Etymology: The word is formed from dialogue plus the agent-noun suffix -ist. The root dialogue derives from Greek dialogos, from dia- 'through' and logos 'word'.

Contexts: In literary theory, especially in the work of Mikhail Bakhtin, the dialogist is associated with polyphony and the coexistence of diverse voices within a single work. In drama or screenwriting, a dialogist may be the writer responsible for crafting dialogue; in everyday usage, it can describe someone who participates actively in a dialogue. The term is more common in discussions of form and theory than in routine prose.

Examples: Plato’s dialogues are cited as classical instances of dialogic writing, where philosophical argument unfolds through spoken exchanges. In modern fiction and theory, writers who emphasize speech as a primary vehicle for meaning are often discussed in terms of dialogic technique or the dialogist’s role in shaping intersubjective understanding.