AN MD80 CREW; ARRIVING DFW; TURNED TO THE WRONG HDG; REQUIRING CORRECTIVE VECTORS FROM ATC.

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WE WERE ARRIVING DFW AT XA40Z ON JAN/SUN/02. DFW REGIONAL APCH FREQ. ABOUT 20 MI OUT FOR AN APCH TO RWY 17C; WE WERE GIVEN TURN TO HDG 210 DEGS AND SLOW TO 210 KTS. I READ BACK 210 DEG HDG; SLOWER TO 210 KTS. THE FO AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THE HDG AND THOUGHT IT WAS AN EARLY TURN TO RWY 17C AND THE INTERCEPT WAS GOING TO BE REALLY CLOSE IN; OR WAS THE CTLR CHANGING US TO RWY 17L? BEFORE I COULD KEY THE MIKE; THE CTLR GAVE US A TURN BACK TO 270 DEGS. I REPLIED 'TURNING TO HDG 270 DEGS.' THE CTLR SAID HE HAD SAID 'TURN TO A 270 DEG HDG' AND I SAID 'NO; THAT YOUR INSTRUCTIONS WERE HDG 210 DEGS AND 210 KTS.' WE WERE THEN GIVEN A 300 DEG HDG TO RETURN BACK TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE TO RWY 17C. APCH WAS COMPLETED AND LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 535159: APCH TOLD US TO SLOW TO 210 KTS AND TURN TO A HDG OF 210 DEGS. WE ANSWERED AND COMPLIED WITH THE CTLR; BUT THOUGHT THAT IT WAS ODD BECAUSE HE GAVE A TURN TO THE ARPT INSTEAD OF VECTORING US TO GET US IN LINE FOR LNDG ON RWY 17C.