SHANGHAI, March 25 (Xinhua) — Eloquent speakers of Shanghai dialect may have the privilege of having their voices recorded, as Chinese linguists move to the eastern economic hub to build a vocal database of local dialects and ethnic languages in China…the two-year project in Shanghai will be the third of its kind to complete a nationwide vocal database, an ambitious move of China to better preserve its linguistic diversity…China has more than 80 languages spoken by the people of its 56 nationalities and an unaccounted number of local dialects.

Napolitano! Here’s a fun, learning video on the Italian dialect spoken in Naples, Italy.

Excerpt on Appalachian English dialect from the documentary film Mountain Talk.

In France a battle to save a dying language is being carried out. Breton is spoken by about 200,000 people in France. 80-years-ago, it was more than a million. It is spoken in Britanny, northwest France and campaigners believe Breton will make a comeback!

The Aye Can website aims to help people decide if they can understand Scots — the collective name for Scottish dialects such as Glaswegian, Doric, Buchan, Dundonian, or Shetland. Visitors to the site, developed by the Scots Language Centre, can listen to recordings of people around the country speaking their local dialect. http://www.ayecan.com/

Dialects Endangered by Modernization: Despite government efforts to protect minority languages, they are still faced with the danger of disappearing due to modernization, top advisers have warned. There are 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China and more than 100 of the country’s dialect languages are in danger of dying out, according to the United Nations.