Language and Life on Ocracoke

The Living History of the Brogue

Jeffrey Reaser, Walt Wolfram, Candy Gaskill

$64.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

The University of North Carolina Press
20 May 2025

linguistics; Regional & national history; Social & cultural anthropology; Travel & holiday

In this follow-up to the celebrated Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks, Jeffrey Reaser, Walt Wolfram, and Candy Caskill have produced the most comprehensive linguistic look at Ocracoke yet. Many visitors are drawn to Ocracoke's natural beauty and fascinating dialect, known as the Ocracoke Brogue. During the summer on the island, despite the required ferry ride to even set foot there, tourists (or as the locals might call them, dingbatters or tourons) can easily outnumber residents fifteen to one. Though small in number, O'Cockers remain as iconic as the lighthouse.

The authors have continued to study Ocracoke and the Ocracoke Brogue while also participating in and partnering with the community itself. Building on the legacy of Hoi Toide, this book includes 120 new interviews with Ocracokers, documenting their evolving language and culture. With this prolonged and comprehensive approach to the region, the authors document the island's changes, providing readers with a deeply researched, empathetic, and engagingly written snapshot of one of North Carolina's most cherished places, one with a linguistic heritage worth celebrating.

By: Jeffrey Reaser, Walt Wolfram, Candy Gaskill
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9781469685298
ISBN 10: 1469685299
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 20 May 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Jeffrey Reaser is professor of English at North Carolina State University. Walt Wolfram is William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English at North Carolina State University. His books include Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks: The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue and Talkin' Tar Heel: How Our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina. Candy Gaskill is a board member of the Ocracoke Preservation Society and a fourth-generation resident of Ocracoke.