Did you know there are more than 7,000 languages spoken worldwide? That’s a lot already, but the number gets much higher when you add in the huge number of different language dialects across the world.
And all of these dialects represent different cultural identities. These dialects are more than just variations in accent; they carry the weight of history, geography, and community bonds. Each one tells a story about how people connect with those around them.
Remitly is all about staying connected across borders. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the diversity of language dialects around the world. We’ll explore their origins, uncover fascinating examples, and explain how dialects continue to shape modern communication.
What are language dialects?
Essentially, a dialect is a variation of a language. It may have different pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, but it’s still recognizable as the same language. Speakers of different dialects can usually understand each other, even if there are differences in how words are spoken or used.
Accent vs. dialect
There’s more to a dialect than a different accent. An accent is just about differences in pronunciation. While people in Texas may speak very differently from those in New York, they still use most of the same words and grammar.
Dialects go further. They not only change how words sound, but also affect which words are used and how sentences are structured.
A good example of a different dialect of the same language is British English versus American English. They have different vocabulary and pronunciation, but people speaking one can usually understand people speaking the other.
Evolving languages
Language separation happens when speakers can no longer understand each other. For example, both French and Spanish come from Latin, and were once dialects of the same language. But over time, they grew different enough that French speakers today can’t understand Spanish speakers, and vice versa.
Languages change naturally over time, shaped by geographic separation and historical influences. Mountain ranges, rivers, and political borders can keep communities apart, allowing speech to evolve in unique ways. Over generations, these changes become bigger and bigger, creating different dialects that reflect local identity.
The science behind dialect formation
Geographic isolation has always been one of the most powerful forces behind dialect formation. Communities separated by mountains, rivers, or long distances often develop distinct speech variations over generations.
For example, European language dialects found in the Alps or the Scottish Highlands evolved differently from those in nearby lowland areas, just because there wasn’t much daily contact between the two different populations.
That’s also why you usually find more dialects in the old world: Europe, Asia, and Africa. By the time North and South America were settled by Europeans, technology had advanced enough that people could cover larger distances more quickly. There wasn’t the same geographical isolation or amount of time for dialects to diverge.
It’s interesting to note that the UK, despite being far smaller than the US, has more dialects. That’s because English has been spoken there for much longer.
Migration and trade: contact-induced change
Migration and trade also play big roles in the formation of dialects. Along historic trade routes like the Silk Road and across the Mediterranean, constant interaction between different groups of people meant that words, accents, and grammatical structures mixed between languages.
People often pick up terms from other languages and incorporate them into their own, and this can create a new dialect.
Migration can carry dialects far from their origins. Expat communities often preserve older forms of speech long after the homeland has moved on. For example, some African dialects spoken abroad differ noticeably from the way they’re spoken in their regions of origin.
On the other hand, a diaspora community can develop a new dialect of its own. This is true of the Italian spoken by many Italian-Americans. A large portion of Italian immigrants to America came from southern Italy and spoke Neapolitan, a dialect of Italian. Over time, many words shifted in pronunciation, so now we get things like gabagool instead of Neapolitan capecuoll, or mutzarell instead of mozzarella.
The social life of dialects
Social factors can also shape the development of dialects. Class, education, and occupation all create linguistic markers within a population. In many societies, people from different social classes within the same community speak very distinctly.
Linguistic research shows that dialects evolve in predictable ways. Studies in linguistic diversity have found that certain sound shifts spread gradually, while vocabulary innovations often stay within specific communities.
Regional languages and speech variations are not just quirks. They’re reflections of human movement, history, and identity.
Dialects across continents: a global tour
European dialect diversity
In Europe, centuries of history and cultural exchange have created a remarkable mixture of speech variations and dialects. And these dialects often cut across nations.
Take German dialects as an example. Standard German, known as Hochdeutsch, is the country’s official language. But Bavarian in the South and Low German in the North are dialects that can be so different from the standard that native speakers sometimes struggle to understand each other.
This is in part because, until relatively recently, Germany was not a country. Instead, it was a patchwork of different states and principalities that all had their own language identity derived from German.
The same is true in Italy. Before the country was unified in the 19th century, its different regions all developed unique varieties of speech. Modern standard Italian is based on the Tuscan dialect, but Sicilian, Neapolitan, and Venetian dialects all still exist and are used daily.
European dialects do not neatly map onto modern political boundaries. In many cases, these dialects are far older than the country of which they’re part. That makes Europe a kind of living laboratory of language where local dialects continue to thrive alongside official state languages.
Asian language variations
Asia is home to 60% of the world’s population and some of the most complex and fascinating language dialects in the world.
The Chinese language family presents a great example. There’s no such language as Chinese. Instead, there are multiple major dialect groups: Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, Hakka, and others.
Sometimes, these language groups vary so much in pronunciation and vocabulary that it’s difficult for speakers of different varieties to understand each other. However, their shared writing system makes it possible to communicate across regions.
It’s a similar story with Arabic dialects. Arabic takes on distinct regional forms that are sometimes hard for speakers to understand. Maghrebi Arabic from North Africa can sound like another language to someone from the Gulf region, for example. Egyptian Arabic often serves as a bridge across the Arabic world, as it’s widely understood thanks to cinema and media. And like with Chinese dialects, the shared writing system makes it possible to communicate.
African linguistic richness
Africa may be the world’s most linguistically diverse continent. It’s home to more than 2,000 languages and countless regional dialects.
Let’s take a look at Swahili. This is widely spoken across East Africa, used in education, government, and media. The local communities maintain their own unique dialectic versions.
Kenyan Swahili incorporates a lot of loan words from English, while Tanzanian Swahili is closer to the standardized form taught in school. On islands like Zanzibar, you can find more traditional Swahili dialects still preserved by isolation. These variations show how a single language can adapt across borders while maintaining a shared identity.
Colonialism’s effect on African dialects
European powers often imposed their own languages as the official language of the country, at the expense of local dialects. In some cases, colonial powers redrew borders and grouped people with very different linguistic traditions, creating a mosaic of speech variations in single nations.
Now, scholars and communities are working to try to preserve this linguistic diversity. African dialect preservation projects like the Endangered Languages Project help to record dialects at risk of disappearing.
By supporting education in communities, these efforts are aimed at protecting Africa’s rich dialectical heritage for the future. After all, regional languages are carriers of memory, culture, and belonging.
The Americas: Old and New World dialects
In the Americas, colonial histories have had a huge impact on the dialects and languages of indigenous people. Spanish, Portuguese, English, and French dominate the languages of North America thanks to European settlers.
But dialects exist within these imported languages. For example, Mexican Spanish features loan words from Nahuatl and uses ustedes for the plural you. In Argentina, they speak Rioplatense Spanish around Buenos Aires, which sounds a lot like Italian thanks to immigration.
While someone from Spain can usually understand someone from Mexico, Venezuela, or Argentina, they all speak different dialects of the same language.
The diversity of Native American languages is vast. Quechua in the Andes and dozens of Mayan languages in Central America are still spoken today alongside Spanish. In North America, there are major revitalization efforts for Navajo, Cherokee, Cree, and Inuktitut.
How dialects impact daily life
Learning about dialects is more than an academic exercise. The dialect a person speaks can affect job opportunities and how people perceive them. That means a dialect can offer both advantages and challenges in everyday life.
Many students in education face pressure to adopt the standardized form of the language. This makes learning more difficult when what is taught in textbooks is different from the way they speak at home. And because dialects can be a marker of a particular social class, speaking a dialect can even harm your employment prospects.
Dialect discrimination is a real thing. For example, speakers of Appalachian English in the US sometimes encounter bias against their accents and speech patterns.
The media can also play a powerful role in shaping perceptions. For much of the 20th century, newsreaders across the US had a standard North American accent, regardless of where they came from. Many people deliberately lost their accents and their dialects to move up in the world.
With that said, new media platforms are creating space to celebrate dialect pride. YouTube creators and social media influencers are creating content in their own dialects to preserve and celebrate these unique forms of language.
Preserving dialect heritage
Around the world, people are realizing that language dialects are living archives of culture and identity. While globalization and standardized education can threaten linguistic diversity, initiatives to preserve dialects are gaining momentum.
There are lots of examples. Everywhere, regional dialects are being revitalized through music, theater, and local media. In New Zealand, Maori communities have launched successful immersion schools (Kura Kaupapa Māori) to help the kids grow up fluent in their language. In Nigeria, projects have been launched to record endangered dialects of Igbo and Yoruba. In Scotland, Gaelic is receiving increased support in schools and in broadcasting.
Languages exist to be spoken. Preserving a dialect means using it. Schools can help by introducing bilingual and dialect-sensitive course materials and validating students’ home speech. Meanwhile, families play a vital role in encouraging children to use their community dialect at home.
What does it matter? Well, dialects are priceless elements of cultural heritage. They also provide insights into cognitive flexibility, language learning, and how humans adapt communication. When we lose a dialect, we lose a unique perspective on human experience.
Embracing linguistic diversity
The dialects of the world are part of the diversity that makes humans such a fascinating species. Dialects not only enrich human communication and help communities feel closer, but they also represent centuries of history and community bonds. Speaking a dialect shows a deep connection to a place, culture, and community.
FAQ
How many dialects exist worldwide?
With 7,000 languages spoken around the world today, it’s guaranteed that there are many thousands of dialects. It’s hard to get an exact number because what one person considers a dialect, another might classify as a separate language. English alone is considered to have around 160 distinct dialects.
Can dialects become separate languages?
Yes. Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish, for example, were once dialects of a common language but are now considered separate. The same is true of the Romance languages. French, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian were all once forms of Latin, but are now separate.
Are dialects disappearing?
Many dialects are at risk. Globalization and urbanization are major forces behind this, along with education. Local dialects and languages like Italian, German, and Chinese are less widely spoken among urban youth than among their parents. With that said, projects to preserve Irish Gaelic, Maori, and regional varieties of Swahili show that communities can protect their linguistic heritage.