Global travel and migration have given an unexpected shot in the arm to the world's dialects, until recently often viewed as a quaint, doomed relic of more primitive times.
Incoming communities have married their own forms of speech to the argot of their new neighbors, creating fresh versions of widely spoken languages such as English, Arabic and Chinese.
The growth is rapid enough to qualify as a "dialect explosion," according to specialists who met in Newcastle, England, yesterday to discuss -- occasionally in dialect -- the boom.
"Language has always developed over time," said Karen Corrigan, a linguist at Newcastle University and co-organizer of the event. "But at the moment it's changing much faster than it ever has done because of increased opportunities for social and geographical mobility."
The research findings, which will be debated by about 400 linguists from across the world, reverse long-standing assumptions about dialects.
A mammoth taping project by British academics, started in the 1950s and still continuing, began because of a conviction that the peculiarities in speech of rural England or the nation's inner-cities were bound to die out.
"Just the opposite has happened," said Charley Rowe, another linguist in Newcastle.
"It is RP, received pronunciation or `BBC English,' which has been in retreat. Here in Newcastle, where new dialects now mean we've got at least 10 ways of saying the word `don't,' there are people who now see a general north-east [English] accent as too posh, let alone RP," Rowe said.
The new dialects are far from complete languages, but follow their predecessors' tradition in enriching vocabulary or changing pronunciations.
Old Bristolian (from the western English city of Bristol), which habitually adds an "l" to words ending in a vowel, has been given Caribbean, Indian sub-continent and eastern European spins.
New terms in the African-Caribbean versions include irie, meaning nice or good, and facety, a version of the English word feisty. Asian English novelties include chuddies for underpants, and gora, meaning a white person.
The conference is also discussing the spread of new dialect phrases and usages such as "bigging something up" (recommending or praising) and the ubiquitous use of "like" by young people.
New dialects are expected to increase yet more rapidly, particularly in Europe and the US, with the movement of workers and the continuing flow of asylum seekers. Specialists reckon the total is three or four times the level of 50 years ago.
The linguistic theories of the fictional Henry Higgins in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, and the musical adaptation, My Fair Lady, remain true, however.
Dr. Corrigan said: "The research still suggests that your dialect or accent remains an important indicator of your social status. But the expanding number of varieties means that people have a greater choice of where to place themselves in society."
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