I am just curious if in Shanghai the locals are still the majority or are they out numbered by the migrant workers ? is Shanghainese a dead dialect or still thriving?

Why would it be a dead dialect?

No way, not even close to dead. When I lived in Shanghai in 1999, it was spoken widely and I met many young children (before primary school age) who could only speak Shanghainese. People in fact, tried to speak it to me first, although I was obviously a foreigner, because I was told they did not like speaking Mandarin and some of the African students at Fudan could speak it (at that time the only other blacks in the city for the most part). I picked up a handful of words, but I was studying Mandarin so I tried to stick to that.

Many migrant workers in Shanghai come from Jiangsu and also speak a Wu-dialect so I'm pretty sure they can pick up Shanghai-hua pretty quick. Last time I was in Shanghai was 2002 and I did not notice a difference in the amount of Shanghanese I heard on the street. I admit that was almost 7 years ago.

I'm in SH now. Shanghainese is a much alive local dialect used by young and old within themselves. Of course, when one is a non-SHnese speaker, Mandarin would be used so there maybe a feeling from outsider non-SHnese speakers that Shnese is not that much conversed whhen the opposite is true. Same is true for other cities speaking Wu dialects such as Hangzhou or Wuxi.

To Taiji in motion: umm out of curiosity, who is the majority right now? Shanghainese speakers or Mandarin speakers?

I wonder if they still teach Shanghainese in schools?

I have heard that there is a change going on with Shanghainese. I heard from a site that, "how are you" is now Nong Hao Va (instead of Nong Ho Va). why is this ? And is Ngo or Ngu the correct pronounciation for the word "me" ?

My friend uses 'Ngo' but I understand that 'Ala' is also used. Can someone confirm this pls?

Depending on which group u hang out with. Since I speak Mandarin, I hear more of it of course from SHnese I hangout with. However, I keep hearing SHnese spoken by locals among themselves on the street all the times.

I did not distinguish between Ngo or Ngu since most Wu dialects sounds the same to me, whether I'm in SH or Hangzhou or Shaoxing or in between, I keep hearing a smatter of various Wu dialects spoken.