[kpan217]

I think the issue with the Miao language is a different story. As far as I'm aware, it's an entirely different language that survived in the pocket of Miao communities as Han culture closed in around them. Whereas ethnic languages and dialects are used by a specific cultural group, local dialects seem to depend more on region than anything. A child is born and grows up speaking the way their parents speak and the way the people at the mall speak and the way their classmates speak. I guess what I'm saying is that non-Miao people wouldn't speak Miao unless they studied it specifically, but for people to speak a local dialect, they just have to live in a certain area. That's not to say that local dialects aren't also fading, but just that I wouldn't necessarily consider those cases to be equal.

Anyways, that may or may not be correct in any way. I tend to think that English will continue to diversify. Even in the States, variations are kind of a cultural distinction that local communities are proud of. I remember sitting around my freshman year of college comparing different pronunciations and diction that everyone had coming from the west coast, northeast, midwest, and south. That's not including the differences between American, Canadian, British, and so on. And everyone was really proud of their own way of saying things.

Even families have their own little idioms that they toss around each other. As long as there's a community with members that talk amongst themselves, there will be diversity at least in accent or terminology.

Bleeeh, sorry, I'm not good at making posts like this! ^_^