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The remote island where residents speak a fascinating blend of Southern and Old English

Experts say Ocracoke's endlessly-entertaining dialect is rapidly disappearing.

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An isolated island called Ocracoke is home to a unique accent not found anywhere else in the world

American English comes in all sorts of different flavors and varieties. I grew up in Baltimore, which shares some dialectical DNA with the accent you find in other Northeastern cities like Philadelphia. Baldamor, hon! There's the New England dialects, most famously the Boston accent: Pahk the cah at Havahd yahd! The New York accent is world famous, as is the deep Southern twang, which gives way to a thick Cajun accent the closer you get to the water in Florida and Louisiana.

These are all different versions of the greater American dialect. But there is one place, a tiny island off the coast of North Carolina, where a few residents speak in such a unique way that it's not even identified as American by most people around the world.

Ocracoke, North Carolina is home to a unique dialect called the Brogue: A strange blend of American Southern, Old Elizabethan English, with little bits of Irish and even Australian thrown in.


 ocracoke, north carolina, the brogue, hoi toider, accents, dialect, language, linguistics, anthropology Americans think Hoi Toider sounds English. People from England think it sounds like something else.  Giphy  

The Brogue, also known as Hoi Toider, is absolutely fascinating to hear in action. When you watch interviews with the locals of the island, they at first appear to be speaking a form of deep American southern — you can hear the twang the way you might in parts of Georgia of Alabama. But then, without warning, a word or phrase will slip out that sounds distinctly British. Old English even. Then you'll swear you hear a bit of Irish!

The dialect owes its roots to a surprising source: Pirates.

Pirates loved to hide out on Ocracoke as the island is incredibly remote, about 20 miles from the mainland of North Carolina. Even today there are no bridges or flights to Ocracoke; it can only be reached by a (quite lengthy) boat ride. Eventually, the island was actually purchased by the Blackbeard's quartermaster (yes, that Blackbeard), William Howard, where he created something of a pirate settlement. English sailors and Native American tribes also passed through and had their own unique impact on the culture and developing language of the island.


 ocracoke, north carolina, blackbeard, pirates, the brogue, hoi toider, accents, dialect, language, linguistics, anthropology Legend has it Blackbeard himself named the island.  Giphy  

In case have your doubts about the island's buccaneerish roots: "In one popular island legend, Ocracoke comes from the phrase, 'Oh, crow cock,' which was spoken by the infamous pirate Blackbeard as he waited to do battle at sunrise with the governor’s forces that had come to capture him," writes a guide from NC State University.

The dialect had a lot of room to develop without much outside influence. The BBC writes, "Howard's community lived in near-isolation for almost two centuries. Electricity didn't arrive at the island until 1938 and a ferry service didn't start until 1957, leaving the islanders cut off except for the occasional supply trip to the mainland."

That's why Hoi Toider is still alive to this day, although its speaking population has dwindled. Here are a few hallmark phrases of the unique dialect:

A 'dingbatter' is anyone not from the island; a tourist. An 'O'Cocker' is anyone born on the island of Ocracoke. A 'buck' is a good male friend, while a 'puck' is a female friend. The Brogue uses 'weren't' liberally for singular nouns ("The sun weren't out yesterday.") and frequently adds an 'a' in front of verbs ("We went a-fishin' this morning").

But to fully appreciate Hoi Toider, you've got to hear it in action:


  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

Experts say, as awesome as the Brogue is, it will likely disappear within the next 50 years.

Though the island remains about as remote as it comes, in 2025 there's no escaping the influence of social media, television, and film. Every generation born on the island is a smidge less-adoptive of the Brogue than the one that came before.

It will probably be mostly gone in the next couple of generations, which feels like a tragedy. Instead of "dingbatter" and "buck," the kids will be saying "Skibidi toilet" and "rizz." OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but young people growing up on the island won't be as immersed in the language as their elders and will begin to speak more and more like your average American.

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

There's a concept called culture homogenization. It's the idea that over time, because of technology and globalization, unique individual cultures from around the world will all start to look more and more the same. It's why you see fast food restaurants directly next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and people all over the globe listening to the same handful of musical artists.

Ocracoke has managed to hang on longer than most places due to how difficult it is to reach. Here's hoping that the Ocracoke Brogue can survive somehow, some way, in little pockets of the island. It's just too dang cool and interesting to go away just yet.

This article originally appeared in May.

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Language expert gives incredible speech to high school students using only Gen Alpha slang

"Keep cooking, stay goated, never be mid."

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Xiaomanyc gives a speech to Alpha Gen for Language Week

With nearly 10 million subscribers/followers—and over one billion views across social media platforms—you may know Xiaomanyc 小马在纽约. He's a linguist who is so curious and immersed in other languages, he finds meaning in being able to speak to different cultures with depth.

His given name is Arieh Smith, and he's a 30-something New Yorker with an astonishing gift for communication. In short, he's a polyglot. According to Euronews they describe the "polyglot" as, of course, some fluent in French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese, but also "dabbles in Yoruba, Navajo, Fuzhounese, Wolof, and Hindi."

He also speaks Portuguese, Yiddish (he's of Jewish Ashkenazi descent), Tamil, and Telugu alongside other Chinese dialects at a "conversational level." He even shocked some Dubliners by speaking Gaeilge that some native Irish didn't understand.

In fact, here he is "surprising strangers in every language."

Xiaomanyc 小马在纽约www.youtube.com

In an interview with Euro News Travel, he shares why learning Mandarin at an early age meant so much to him:

 
 “I think the reason why I continued studying it to the extent that I did was… I got very positive feedback from Chinese people, very early on.”
 
 

The idea that he is able to connect with so many worldwide is meaningful to him. But it's equally important to those with whom he's connecting—especially in cultures where a language might be dying out.

 
"I think people want their culture to be seen and heard. If you know how to say something in their language — or if you even know that their country, culture, and food exist — it’s a sign of respect and people really appreciate that.”
 
 

If one can cross cultural and linguistic boundaries, why not generational ones too? When asked to speak at Westtown High School, he was up for the challenge. From his YouTube description:

 
"I was invited… as a language expert about the importance of learning languages, in front of a full auditorium of high school and middle school students. But instead of just telling the students why language matters… I decided to show them."
 
 


Dressed as a "nerdy professor," complete with bowtie and horn-rimmed glasses, he begins while the enthusiastic middle and high school kids restlessly listen. "A huge W to be vibing here at Westtown High School for Languages Week. But Chat, Chat, let's lock in. Bro came prepared."

The students begin to erupt with laughter.

He continues, "Now I know it's giving delulu for this chewby goober to speak in such Skibidi brain rot."

Now the audience seems totally sold.

"But if you'll bear with me, I'll put the fries in the bag in just a second. I do actually have a message here." (And then under his breath, he adds, "Type s--t.")

"No cap, I was dead ass pressed about learning this language, but I had to absorb the drip so I wouldn't get aired by your generation. High key, people think Gen Alpha slang is just memes and brain rot. But on God, it's giving a linguistic glow-up core, happening IRL."

"Every time you drop a GYAT or 'it's giving,' you're legit patching the English language DLC with fresh updates. Literally shifting the English meta. Language evolves because you're constantly cooking new ways to pass the vibe check. And honestly, your memes finna hit as the textbook vocab of tomorrow. Bet."

alpha generation, slang, linguistics, words, languageA woman says "it's giving..."Giphy, CocoJuice GIF

"And this is exactly why learning language hits different. Just like your casual Pookie talk could soon be the dictionary definition, picking up another language gives you front-row seats to how people around the world give the deets. It's like unlocking infinite drip. Allowing you to catch dubs across cultures, connect deeper with the squad and stan new perspectives that would otherwise leave you ghosted.

Languages aren't just sus grammar rules, fam. They're the ultimate Rizz for becoming a real one everywhere you pull up. It’s the GigaChad energy for me.

So knowing languages isn't mid. But it's not just a flex either. It's an infinite money glitch that slaps. People finna get pressed saying languages are chopped or too hard. Don't listen, Bestie, they're just salty because their language game is dog water. Being multilingual is OD. Letting you stan cultures, vibe with international fam, and utterly Mog your career. No cap, speaking another language lets you go off, turning you into an absolute conversation Rizzler.

So yeah Chat, that's the sauce. Keep cooking, stay goated, never be mid. And FR, study hard and go Rizz up that knowledge."

rizz, gen alpha, slang, language, lingustics A penguin winks Giphy, GIF by Pudgy Penguins

The crowd applauds uproariously. Just as if they were a small, tribal group hanging on to their traditional and unique way of communication, these kids seemed to enjoy being seen and understood. Also, they got a huge laugh out of a seminar they might have otherwise found boring. Bet.

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Why Americans pronounce 'street' as 'shtreet.' The unnecessary 'H' we can't stop saying.

Turns out Rs are the real weirdos causing all the trouble.

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Why Americans pronounce 'street' as 'shtreet' or 'schreet'

There are some things Americans will concede are strictly American. One of those things os the pronunciation of certain words. No matter the accent, English words are generally pronounced the same, with a few exceptions. The inflection may be different but the mechanics are the same. This isn't the case for words like "street."

Really, any word that requires the "str" combination somehow gets the "sh" sound thrown in there. It's something that's so normal for Americans we don't hear it, so this may sound made up. But British linguist Dr. Geoff Lindsey breaks down why American speakers pronounce the "str" sound with an "sh." It's like "h" is an invisible letter instead of a silent one. The mispronunciation is not just an American thing though, it's an English speaker thing and doesn't really discriminate based on regional accents.

linguistics; pronunciation; American accent; English accent; word pronunciation; speakingA group of friends at a coffee shop. Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

It would seem the simplest answer is ease of speaking. There are a lot of words that get hurried or pronounced more like you're speaking in cursive rather than annunciating clear individual words. It's faster and easier to cut words short or start them with less annunciation, especially when casually speaking. But when it comes to the "str" sound, it doesn't seem to matter how slowly you're trying to say the word combination. That sneaky "h" keeps popping up between the "s" and "t." Why is that?

Turns out it has more to do with the letter "r" than any of the other letters. Dr. Lindsey explains, "in languages around the world the 'r' is often a tap of the tongue tip just behind the upper front teeth. But English 'r' turns things upside down, literally upside down from the perspective of the international phonetic alphabet, because this is actually the precise symbol for English 'r' and we can add an extra topping to show that it's often made with the lips rounded."

This rounding of the "r" and lack of contact with the back of the front teeth makes the distance between the "t" and "r" an uncomfortable distance for the tongue to travel. When people who speak English pronounce the letter "r," they pull their tongue back, away from their teeth and the roof of their mouth. It's almost as if the tongue is suspended in the air so it doesn't touch anything else in your mouth. This area that the tongue hangs out in for the letter "r" is the same area we use to make combination sounds like "ch" and "sh."

In a recent TikTok video, a young woman wonders if people have always pronounced "street" like "shtreet" after realizing her friend seemed to be adding the "sh" sound, only to realize she too adds the "sh" sound. In response, Yuval, a content creator who explores multiple different topics, attempts to breakdown why people make the "sh" sound when pronouncing words with the blended consonants "str."

linguistics; pronunciation; American accent; English accent; word pronunciation; speakingWomen sitting on swings. Photo by Bewakoof.com Official on Unsplash

"What this comes down to is the fact that English 'Rs' are what we like to call in linguistics, very weird. You'll notice that your tongue has to make all of these peculiar movements to make that sound. More specifically, your tongue is further back in your mouth when you make an 'r' than it is when you make an 's.' So instead of saying that 's' directly, you pull your tongue back a bit and make an 's h' because the distance between and 's' and and 'r' is too great of a distance for your tongue to travel," Yuval points out.

He continues, "Now, some of you might be sitting there and thinking to yourself wait a minute that can't make any sense because in a word like street, directly between the 's' and the 'r' there's a 't' where your tongue is gonna have to be at the top of your teeth anyways, except no it won't because you're not gonna be saying a 't' at all," arguing that words that have the blended "tr" sound often become the blended "ch" sound when speaking. He then gives several examples.

 
 @yuvaltheterrible Replying to @Thomas Jefferson123 so yes dry January is also alliterative #language #linguistics #english #pronunciation ♬ original sound - Yuval 
 
 

So why do we say words like "street" and "strong" like "shtreet" and "shtrong?" Distance. That's it. There's no secret deeper than people tend to use what is easiest to communicate efficiently. Cutting off the distance the tongue has to travel between the mid-mouth and the teeth in preparation to go from the "st" sound to the "r" sound is just easier. Some people might call it laziness but others might call it efficiency. Either way, stay shtrong out there, the shtreets are tough.

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How Japanese introductions literally translate to English is a wild linguistics lesson

"First time! I'm Under the Forest."

Photo by Satoshi Hirayama/Pexels

Greetings in Japanese sound quite odd when literally translated to English.

Studying a language other than your own native tongue is always a trip. Wrapping your head around completely different grammar and syntax rules, trying to create sounds your mouth isn't used to, sometimes learning entirely new alphabets (or characters when there is no alphabet), all just to be able to communicate with more of your fellow human beings. (Seriously, when are we going to decide on an actual universal language?)

Linguistics is wild, as evidenced by certified Japanese teacher Hikari's video demonstrating what Japanese introductions would sound like if they were translated literally into English.

One of the first greetings you learn in Japanese is "hajimemashite," which is generally interpreted as "Nice to meet you," or "How do you do"—something you say when you meet someone. But the literal meaning of the phrase is "at the beginning" or "first time," which of course sounds odd in English. (Similarly to if you were to literally translate "How's it going?" from English to another language, the understood meaning of "How are you feeling right now?" wouldn't come through, since the words "it' and "going" have nothing to do with how you're feeling.)

Then there are name introductions, which seem like they should just be straight up names, but aren't because of what they mean. "I'm Under the Forest." "I'm Inside the Field." Huh? And wait til you see how they share their ages. Watch:

- YouTubeyoutu.be

To make things a little clearer, the name "Under the Forest" is almost certainly Morishita, a common last name in Japan (Japanese people generally introduce themselves by last name). The translation "under the forest" comes from Chinese characters used in Japanese, Kanji, that most Japanese last names are written in. Morishita is 森下 in Kanji, with 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 下 (shita) meaning "below" or "under." "Inside the Field" would be the name Tanaka, with a similar explanation, but with different characters.

As far as ages go, that's a whole other cultural quirk. In Japan, time is separated into imperial eras based on whoever the emperor is, and each era has a name. "Shining harmony 63" means she was born in 1989, or the 63rd year of the Shōwa ("shining harmony") era. Moons are months, and days are, well, days.

Japan, eras, calendar, moons, days, timeImperial eras of time. Canva Photos.

Japan is the only country where Japanese is an official language, but thanks to the tech boom there in the 80s and 90s—and the rise of the popularity of anime worldwide—the Japanese language has seen continually growing interest outside the archipelago nation. According to Brittanica, there are around 127 million Japanese speakers worldwide, with some 1.5 million Japanese immigrants (and their descendants) living in parts of North and South America with "varying degrees of proficiency in Japanese."

anime, popular anime, sailor moon, watching anime, japanesesailor moon walking GIFGiphy

(Side note: Having studied Japanese myself, I can attest that it's a very fun language to learn. The alphabets and Kanji are the hardest parts—the phonetics are consistent and the grammar is quite logical, with far fewer exceptions to the rules than English.)

In addition to videos like this one, Hikari offers Japanese lessons on her YouTube channel, Japanese with Hikari. You can also sign up for her newsletter, chock full of motivational posts, encouragement, and resources to keep subscribers motivated to learn Japanese.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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