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The US island that speaks Elizabethan English

Published on: 2025-06-23 13:24:48

The US island that speaks Elizabethan English 2 hours ago Share Save Brian Carlton Share Save Alamy The island of Ocracoke in North Carolina is known for its distinct "Hoi Toider" brogue (Credit: Alamy) Native Americans, English sailors and pirates all came together on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina to create the only American dialect that is not identified as American. I'd never been called a "dingbatter" until I went to Ocracoke, North Carolina for the first time. I've spent a good part of my life in the state, but I'm still learning how to speak the Hoi Toider brogue. The people here just have their own way of speaking: it's like someone took Elizabethan English, sprinkled in some Irish tones and 1700s Scottish accents, then mixed it all up with pirate slang. But the Hoi Toider dialect is more than a dialect. It's also a culture, one that's slowly fading away. With each generation, fewer people play meehonkey, cook the traditional foods or know what it is to be "mommucked". ... Read full article.