TWO ACR'S VECTORED INTO CLOSE PROX AT SAME ALT RESULTING IN LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION.

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LGT X INBND TO DFW; ASSIGNED EASTERLY HDG; ALT 5000'. WE WERE WONDERING WHY WE WERE BEING HELD SO LONG AT 5000'. THE RADIO CHATTER WAS VERY HEAVY; AND THE CTLR WAS BEING CUT OUT AND STEPPED ON BY VARIOUS FLTS CHKING INTO FREQ. IT IS A HEAVY ARR TIME INTO DFW. WE ALL SUDDENLY HEARD A COMMAND FOR US TO TURN LEFT; 'TIGHT TURN PLEASE;' TO A 030 DEG HDG. WE IMMEDIATELY COMPLIED. AS WE DID SO; THE F/O NOTICED AN ACFT (MLG Y) ON A CONFLICTING COURSE AT OUR 2:30 POS AND AT OUR ALT. I TIGHTENED THE TURN AND CONTINUED TO THE ASSIGNED HDG. WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY FUNNELED AGAIN INTO A BASE LEG AND THE ACFT WAS LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. THE ONLY SUGGESTION POSSIBLE AT PRESENT USAGE OF TECHNOLOGY IS; WHEN FREQ STARTS GETTING CROWDED; THAT CTLRS OR MONITOR-SUPVRS INSTITUTE AN ACFT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY IDENT IF THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE CLRLY UNDERSTOOD BY THE RECEIVING ACFT. THIS MAY REQUIRE LOW TRANSPONDER SETTINGS OR AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL ACFT THROUGH ATIS OF OBSERVANCE OF STRICT RADIO DISCIPLINE ON TERMINAL FREQS. DFW CTLING HAS COME A LONG WAY IN THE LAST 5 YRS. I AM IMPRESSED BY THEIR COMPETENT; CAPABLE MGMNT OF TFC EVIDENT NOWADAYS; ESPECIALLY AROUND WX. THIS WAS; I THINK; AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. MY THANKS TO ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE THAT HANDLE US.