Are dialects dead? Don’t be daft

‘I think language is changing but I don’t think dialect is dying out’

SCIENTISTS are setting out to prove dialects are not dead after winning Lottery funding to examine the full range of Britain’s linguistic variations.

A project to map 300 regional differences across England was carried out by the Leeds Institute of Dialect and Folk Life Studies between 1963 and 1983. It determined where people mash, mask, make or scald their tea, or say daft, silly, gormless or barmy.

But the team largely sought out older men, believing they were less likely to alter their speech out of politeness than women, and so were a better representation of a true dialect. Leeds University’s new project is opening up the archive to the public and wants to add to it. This time, all sexes and ages will be represented.

Dr Fiona Douglas, who is leading the Dialect and Heritage project, said: “I think language is changing but I don’t think dialect is dying out.”