
Language and Life on Ocracoke
The Living History of the Brogue
The University of North Carolina Press
Published on 31. May 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
296 pages
978-1-4696-8529-8 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chapel Hill
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
28 halftones, 2 maps
Dimensions
Height: 206 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
340 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4696-8529-8 (9781469685298)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Jeffrey Reaser | Walt Wolfram | Candy Gaskill
Language and Life on Ocracoke
The Living History of the Brogue
E-Book
05/2025
The University of North Carolina Press
€19.49
Available for download
Persons
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.
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.