Why? Dialects are a natural part of our cultural heritage. A dialect is a neutral label for a particular variety of a language. All speakers have dialects, and there is no such thing as a language without dialects. Dialects are both the result and the beginning of language change, another natural process.

As part of being human, dialects are also part of our daily culture, as much as the foods we eat and the clothes we wear. We form our identities through the ways we speak, and our dialect represents who we are. Bad mouthing someone’s dialect is in effect attacking who they are.

Dialects are a resource for scientific research, scientific teaching, and language arts. Since we will always have dialects, we will always have a wonderful resource for teaching and learning.

People encounter dialect differences on a daily basis. Every time, two people with different dialects meet, opinions are formed. From only a few words, listeners will make value judgment about others. The WVDP hopes to educate people about what dialects really are and how they work. Maybe then people can be proud of this important piece of their cultural heritage.