The University of North Carolina Press

184 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 20 illus., 3 tables, 5 maps, bibl., index

Paper

ISBN  978-0-8078-4626-1

Published: April 1997

Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks

The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue

By Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes

As many visitors to Ocracoke will attest, the island's vibrant dialect is one of its most distinctive cultural features. In Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks, Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes present a fascinating account of the Ocracoke brogue. They trace its development, identify the elements of pronunciation, vocabulary, and syntax that make it unique, and even provide a glossary and quiz to enhance the reader's knowledge of 'Ocracokisms.' In the process, they offer an intriguing look at the role language plays in a culture's efforts to define and maintain itself. But Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks is more than a linguistic study. Based on extensive interviews with more than seventy Ocracoke residents of all ages and illustrated with captivating photographs by Ann Ehringhaus and Herman Lankford, the book offers valuable insight on what makes Ocracoke special. In short, by tracing the history of island speech, the authors succeed in opening a window on the history of the islanders themselves.

About the Author

Walt Wolfram is William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English at North Carolina State University and founder of the North Carolina Language and Life Project. Natalie Schilling-Estes, who holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the project's coordinator.