What is a dialect? Google defines dialect as “the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people.” Though some may not realize it, dialects are present in every person and may very widely over a small area, such as the state of North Carolina . By traveling from end to end of the state one can experience many dialects ranging from the Cherokee language from the Appalachian Mountains to the African American English that varies across the state. If one were to travel by ferry to a remote island off of the coast of the state, they may come across a hard to understand dialect called the Ocracoke Brogue.
The Ocracoke Brogue is believed to have originated in the 1700s after English-Irish settlers formed a community on the island. Because of the island's relative isolation (you can only get there by a 2 or 3 hour ferry ride), the language of the Ocracokers did not develop in the same way that it did on the mainland. Now that this area is beginning to develop into a more tourism-based community, the brogue is fading and may disappear without careful preservation by the natives.
Transcription
Father's impression of Ocracoke brogue
Your ear becomes attuned to it…you begin to understand it. Although, and even to be able to repeat it, sometimes you can, you know, you can imitate the “hoi toide” accent. But…there are also O'cokers who have grown up on that island and have such thick brogue that it can be difficult, even for me as an experienced person listening to it, to understand what they are saying.
Ocracoke native speaker
High tide on the sound side, last night the water fire, tonight the moon shine, no fish. No fish. What do you suppose the matter, Uncle Woods?
Analysis
A brogue such as Ocracoke's is important to our nation because it shows how different the same language can become over a small area. Because Ocracoke is isolated from the mainland of North Carolina , it has developed very differently than the usual North Carolina accent. It is amazing how such a small island can retain the dialect of Great Britain settlers for several hundred years with very little change.
Through the interview with my father about his experience living and working on Ocracoke as a college student, I have learned a great deal about this extremely unique dialect. My father recalls his shocked reaction when he first arrived on Ocracoke, expecting the Ocracokers to speak in the same dialect as the majority of North Carolinians . However, he states that he became used to the dialect and even began to speak like a typical Ocracoker during his time there. Though such a thick dialect such as this one may be difficult to understand, my father is a prime example of how someone can become accustomed to another accent or language just through exposure. Though my dad's version of the dialect is obviously different from Rex O'Neal's (a man who has lived on the island his entire life), he was able to open a form of communication with the natives through adaptation of sayings and other traditions associated with the island.
The Ocracoke Brogue has developed into what it is today over hundreds of years. When settlers first arrived on the island, their language was undoubtedly different from the way it is spoken today. It has evolved as the generations learn the language from their parents, changing it slightly every time. Just as generations on the mainland US change the language and develop slang words that are different such as those of my generation like “cool.” As my father pointed out, Ocracokers have also developed a system that you could almost call a “set of rules” that build words. Pinker describes this technique as “Morphology.” An example of this on Ocracoke is the way that the people add “some” to the end of a word to emphasize a word's meaning. An example of this that my father gives is when an Ocracoker eats something that they really enjoy they will say “That is good some ,” very enthusiastically. This example and other colloquialisms that Ocracoker's have developed shape their language and exemplify the friendly disposition of the natives.
The language on Ocracoke can also be described as “mutually intelligible” with the English found in the rest of North Carolina . If two languages are mutually intelligible this means that they are different but speakers of one language and understand the speakers of another language and vice-versa. Though mutually intelligible is usually used in the context of two different languages, it can also be applied to the dialect of Ocracoke because it is so different. I have experienced firsthand the differences in Ocracoke's dialect and though the dialect is extremely different from any other I have heard, through practice I am able to understand what the Ocracokers are saying when they speak.
The Ocracoke Brogue is a unique dialect that is important to the history of our country. It perfectly exemplifies the way a language can morph over time into something that is very different than it was originally. This dialect is also a great example of how a barrier such as water can have such a great effect on the isolation of a place and how a language develops in that place.
I was born and raised in Winston-Salem , North Carolina . My dad's side of the family is truly Southern, whereas my mom's side is from the North, so I have been able to experience both throughout my life. I have been taking Spanish classes since kindergarten, but a string of bad and worse teachers have left me with less skill than I should have.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to a couple of places outside of the United States . The summer before my freshman year of high school I traveled to Australia with a student organization. We stayed for about 3 weeks and experienced many aspects of Australian life. This past summer I traveled to Italy with my family for two weeks. We went to Rome , Siena , Florence , and Venice . This trip was amazing and I have been so fortunate to experience the greatness of Renaissance art and history firsthand.
I am pretty good at using technology, and if I don't understand something I can usually figure it out if I mess with it long enough. I have a passion for music, and have been involved with it my entire life, whether through playing instruments (piano, flute), singing, or just listening to music. Art inspires me. Though I am not as artistic as my mom, who is a graphic designer, I still have a great appreciation for its expressiveness and beauty.
Through this course I hope to learn that language is a barrier that can be crossed, and I hope to be inspired to learn as much as possible about language.
This topic is very interesting to me because Ocracoke Island is one of my favorite places in the world. My parents met on Ocracoke one summer when my mom was working in a restaurant and my dad was working construction. Ever since I was born my family has been vacationing on Ocracoke, so studying the dialect and its history is very interesting to me.
What is a dialect? Google defines dialect as “the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people.” Though some may not realize it, dialects are present in every person and may very widely over a small area, such as the state of North Carolina . By traveling from end to end of the state one can experience many dialects ranging from the Cherokee language from the Appalachian Mountains to the African American English that varies across the state. If one were to travel by ferry to a remote island off of the coast of the state, they may come across a hard to understand dialect called the Ocracoke Brogue.
A brogue such as Ocracoke's is important to our nation because it shows how different the same language can become over a small area. Because Ocracoke is isolated from the mainland of North Carolina , it has developed very differently than the usual North Carolina accent. It is amazing how such a small island can retain the dialect of Great Britain settlers for several hundred years with very little change.