Language and Life on Ocracoke

In this follow-up to the celebrated Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks, Jeffrey Reaser, Walt Wolfram, and Candy Gaskill 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.