A Pennsylvanian who relocated to North Carolina notes that many people in that part of the United States tend to leave the S off of the word cent when talking about money. This well-established feature of Appalachian and Southern varieties often...
The distinctive dialect of Ocracoke Island is lovingly explored in the new book Language and Life on Ocracoke: The Living History of the Brogue (Bookshop|Amazon) by North Carolina State professors Jeffrey Reaser and Walt Wolfram and fourth...
If you’re mommicked, if you’re bothered, frustrated, or exhausted. Most often heard in coastal North Carolina, mommicked derives from an old word mammock, which as a noun, means “a fragment,” and as a verb, means “to break or tear.” One way to...
A caller from Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, wonders about the origin of “knock on wood.” The hosts do, too. More about the unusual language of Ocracoke here. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Knock On Wood” Hello, you have A Way...
In what part of the country would you be likely to hear momicking, meehonkey, and quamish?