Ah di'vent kna why, pet, but Tesco's gone aaaaall posh on us.

Managers at the supermarket chain have decreed that shoppers at their checkouts must only be referred to as sir or madam instead of pet or love, after a customer complained.

So is this the beginning of the end for the North-East dialect?

Will future shows such as Auf Wiedersehen, Pet or The Likely Lads be known as Auf Wiedersehen, Madam or the Likely Gentlemen? In short, are we all going to start speaking posh?

Not so, according to linguistics and English Language lecturer at Durham University Mike Davenport.

"I doubt if this is anything to do with dialect or accent really," he said.

"I suspect this person complained because he or she thought someone was being too familiar, or because of issues of sexism or something like that."

Mr Davenport said North-East accents were changing, although he stressed we would not all end up "talking like Jonathan Ross".

He said: "You find that the differences between say Newcastle and Sunderland or Sunderland and Durham are becoming less.

"Darlington is an interesting example. You find that people use both Durham and North Yorkshire terms.

"It shows that there is no place where one accent ends and another begins."

But he said dialect terms such as pet and howay would be around for a long time yet.

Meanwhile, The Northern Echo could not find a single shopper who would be offended by a shop worker calling hm or her pet.

"I actually think it's quite nice," was a typical comment from Sheilagh May, 38, of Aldbrough St John, in North Yorkshire.

FIVE geordisms translated to posh for Tesco:

1. Howay the lads = oh, do come on, chaps.

2. A di'vent kna = I really couldn't say.

3. Ah'm gannin plodgin = I am going for a paddle.

4. Purely belter! = Splendid show!

5. Ha wa ower here hinny, = Please come here, darling.