12 Unique US Accents And Dialects

Tangier Island sits in the Chesapeake Bay, about 90 miles southeast of Washington, DC. As of 2018, this small, 1.2-square-mile island held under 500 residents. Only one road connects the island; boats are the only way to reach or leave.

Immigrants from Cornwall, England, settled the island in the 1770s. While those first settlers were mostly farmers, commercial fishing and crabbing drive the island's main industries today.

The earliest settlers left behind a unique dialect spoken by Tangier Island's residents. This dialect mixes colonial British English with a Virginia Tidewater accent. David Shores, the author of this, described it.Tangier Island: Place, People and Talkexplainedto the BBC in 2018:

The island's geographic isolation has kept relics of its earliest settlers' speech—likely lower-class British men—intact. Instead of taking language patterns from the mainland, it built its own distinct characteristics.

The dialect is so unique some visitors complain they cannot understand residents. Local Bruce Gordy compiled a list of Tangier Island expressions in the early 2000s. He shared some with the BBC reporter:

If you smell, you "have the meebs." If it’s cold, "Hawkins is here." If you’re asleep, you’re "in the sweet peas." Want food? Then you "mug up." If you only want crackers or sweets, you need to say "nabs" or "nugs." Also, if someone says you’re "selling cakes," it has nothing to do with food. "No boy" means your fly is down.

As the island gained modern conveniences and the outside world became easier, older residents like Gordy worried this unique dialect might vanish. He shared:

My grandsons use satellite TV and don't get many of the phrases now. I hate seeing unique things that worked well for us blend into a plain way of talking.

The language faces disappearance too. Rising water levels from climate change cause about 9 acres of the island to erode into the Chesapeake Bay yearly. If a sea wall does not protect the island, residents might have to leave by 2037, and the island could be underwater by 2050.

Louisiana has several French or French-based creole languages still spoken. Cajun French is spoken by the largest percentage of the population. As of 2018, about150,000 to 200,000People in the state could speak the language.

Cajun French isa mixtureCajun French, a colonial French and Acadian French introduced to Louisiana by settlers from French-speaking Canada (who the British drove out) and the languages of local Native Americans, saw a revival recently.

Some people viewed Cajun French as outdated and vulgar. In 1921, the Louisiana Constitution decided to make sure all school activities happened in English.Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'Many Acadian people lacked education. Not only were their children forced into schools where they did not know the language used for subjects, but they also faced punishment for speaking French at school.

Earlene Broussard Echeverria, a Cajun French teacher at Louisiana State University (LSU), did something.Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'Television station WAFB. In 2009:

Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'

Echeverria stated that parents stopped teaching Cajun French after seeing how their children were treated in school.

A stigma attached to speaking French existed since 1910. America is the land of assimilation.

Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'In 1968, a law created the Counsel for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL). CODOFIL's goal is to teach the French population in the state to read and write Cajun French while also promoting its use in English schools.

LSU started a Cajun French program in 1998. In 2018, Luke Romero launched the LearnCajun app to save the language and culture of his ancestors and make it accessible. The app included a database of about 90 words and phrases, like "pas bon petit" ("bad boy") and "canaille" ("mischievous").

If someone says "Nük Nuw" to you, they mean they are Chemehuevi.

Chemehuevi are Native Americans living in various Western and Rocky Mountain states. The name might mean "those who play with fish," a Mohave term, or "nose in the air like a road runner," a Quechan term.

Their language belongs to the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Few people speak Chemehuevi; during filming for the 2008 documentary,Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects', K. David Harrison and Greg Anderson found onlyDescription of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'

Tribe members now take steps to keep the language alive. For instance, in 2015, Siwavaats Junior College in Havasu Lake, CA, opened to help Chemehuevi children learn the language.Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'June Leivas drove this educational effort. She taught language classes for several years and wrote a dictionary with about 2,500 words.

Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'Description of 'Once A Banned Language, Cajun French Has Seen A Revival In Louisiana In Recent Years' in the list '12 Unique US Accents And Dialects'

I did not have a written language. About five years ago [c. 2010], I created phonetics that I liked.

Leivas explained the Chemehuevi language is hard to learn. It has a rhythm unlike English. Cultural reasons mean it lacks words for some common English words.

They lack words for please and thank you. Giving orders is not rude. There are no goodbyes, only 'see you later pikaiyumppu' because goodbyes imply you won't see that person again.

The alphabet lacks the consonants J, R, B, and L. These letters make sounds not used in the Chemehuevi language.

Amish and Mennonite communities in the Eastern and Midwestern United States use a German dialect called Pennsylvania Dutch. They are not Dutch. These groups descend from German-speaking immigrants from the Rhineland and Palatinate regions of Germany and parts of Switzerland. They do not speak Dutch; their language is actually a...The language spoken by Amish and Mennonite communities is a mixture of German dialects.People from these communities moved to the United States in the 1700s to escape religious persecution in Europe. The English word "Dutch" referred to the Germanic area including the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. Since Germany was not a single country then, the immigrants could not be called German accurately.

The term "Pennsylvania Dutch" arose because of these communities. When people from these groups immigrated to the United States in the 1700s to escape religious persecution in Europe, the term "Dutch" in English described the Germanic region of Europe. This region included the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. Because Germany lacked a single country status in the 18th and 19th centuries, the immigrants could not be called German accurately.

The Pennsylvania Dutch promoted this name to separate themselves from the European Germans they fled and the later German-speaking people moving to the US. In the "Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch" language, these other Germans are called "Deitschlenner" ("Germany-era").

Approximately 200,000Two hundred thousand members of Amish and Mennonite communities in the Eastern and Midwestern US (and parts of Canada) speak the language fluently. Since the Amish community keeps growing, the number of Pennsylvania Dutch speakers doubles.The number of Pennsylvania Dutch speakers doubles.This happens about every 20 years. This makes it the fastest-growing language in the world.

The language has sounds, inflections, and pronunciations that separate it from standard German. Speakers or standard German can still understand and communicate with speakers of "Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch."

In the 1800s, Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA, served as two major ports for the transatlantic slave trade. Half of all enslaved Africans entered the United States via Charleston, with much of the remainder arriving through Savannah.

Africans from West Africa's rice-growing regions made up the largest percentage brought to these cities. By the mid-1800s, large rice farms covered much of the low country in South Carolina and Georgia. Plantation owners believed enslaved people from West Africa's "Rice Coast" brought useful knowledge and skills to help these farms succeed.

These Africans were known asthe GullahWhite plantation owners left the low country during the rainy spring and summer months to avoid yellow fever. This meant the Gullah had less interaction with whites than other slaves in the South.

After the Civil War ended, many plantation owners left their farms, leaving the Gullah alone in the remote low country region. This let them build a culture mixing elements from many African languages and cultures.

The Gullah culture survives in the 21st century. People fiercely try to keep it alive for future generations. In 2006, the US Congress passed the "Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Act." This act gave $10 million to support preserving historic sites connected to Gullah culture.

The Gullah language continues to be used by community members. It is a Creole based on English but includes many African words. It also features a sentence structure and grammar shaped by various African languages.

The Pawnee language, spoken by the Native American tribe in Nebraska and north-central Oklahoma, is endangered. Only the tribe's elders and chiefs speak it fluently; younger generations prefer English.There are two major dialects of the language: Skiri and South Band.The two major dialects are Skiri and South Band.

Pawnee is unusual because each word hasEach word in the Pawnee language has 10 syllables.The language has nine consonants and eight vowels. Consonants sound like English, but vowels are drawn out, sounding more like French. Different voice tones convey different meanings.

Efforts continue to preserve and revive the Pawnee language, like other endangered languages. One effort started in 1997. The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and the American Indian Studies Research Institute of Indiana University joined forces toStart a program.This program produces textbooks and other materials for learning and teaching Pawnee.

Ocracoke Island sits in the southernmost part of North Carolina's Outer Banks. It lies about 18 miles off the mainland. Pronounced "oh-crah-coke," the island's name origin is unclear. Some think the original Native American residents named it; another legend says the pirateBlackbeardPeople allegedly heard crying “Oh, Crow, Cock!” before sunrise, expecting a battle.

Sir Walter Raleigh found the island in 1585 while exploring the North Carolina coast. English immigrants settled it in the 1700s.

The dialect of O'cockers, the island's natives, is the Ocracoke brogue. It shares traits with Outer Banks dialects but has island-specific features.

Walt Wolfram, director of the Language and Life Project at North Carolina State University, discusses this.Wolfram explained a few unique expressions.These unique expressions include:

On Ocracoke, people play "meehonkey" (hide and seek) at night with a "buck" [a good (male) friend] and go "up the beach" (off the island) to shop.

Other examples of the Ocracoke brogue include:Other examples of the Ocracoke brogue include:The Ocracoke brogue includes:

dingbatter (n.): A nonnative of Ocracoke or the Outer Banks.

mommuck (v.): To harass or bother.

quamished (adj.): Sick to the stomach.

O'cockers substitute "to" for "at" or "on." Instead of saying "She's on (or at) the dock," a native says "She's to the dock."

Wolfram refuted the idea that the Ocracoke brogue came from Shakespearean English. He stated, "That’s romantic, but not quite right."

The sociolinguist said the brogue stems from dialects in Ireland, eastern England, and southwestern England—places where the island's first settlers came from.

Wolfram fears the unique dialect will vanish soon because Ocracoke's economy relies more on tourism.

Today's children will not speak the brogue; it now stays with people over 50.

Smith Island, settled in the 17th century, sits 12 miles off Crisfield, MD. The local dialect features long vowels that change words like "down" to "dane" and "there" to "thaar." People wrongly described this as stemming from Shakespearean or Elizabethan English.

ButSchilling sayslinguistic professor Natalie Schilling says the dialect started on the island and did not become common until the mid-twentieth century.

The dialect's most unique feature is "talking backwards," meaning saying the opposite of what one means. For example, "She ain’t pretty none" means the person is actually pretty.

Schilling reports that some of Smith Island's unique dialect faces loss, yet "talking backwards" continues.

In the late 1700s, Hawaiian Islands served as a key port for whaling ships and trade with Asia. This brought elements of pidgin English from China and the Pacific to the Indigenous Hawaiian population, who integrated it into their own language.

Starting in the 1830s, thousands of immigrants came to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations. This Pidgin Hawaiian became the common language workers used to talk to each other.

More immigrants arrived in the 1870s. Children born in Hawaii to these immigrants started a new dialect. This dialect mixed English, the original Pidgin Hawaiian, and native languages from their parents, like Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino.By the 1920s, this dialect, called "Hawai'i Creole," became the primary language for most of the population.Hawaiian Pidgin, called "Hawai'i Creole" in the 1920s, comes from parents like Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino.In 2015, language results from the 2009-2013 American Community Survey—which surveyed Hawaii's counties of Hawaii, Honolulu, and Maui—were released. The data showed 1,275 people over 5 spoke Pidgin instead of English at home. Another 335 reported speaking Hawaiian Pidgin.Hans Boas, a professor at the University of Texas, started the Texas German Dialect Project.

People informally call this dialect "Pidgin." They use it often in casual settings, like children playing or neighbors talking. Sometimes, you hear it on the radio, on TV, or in ads. Standard English and Hawaiian remain the official languages of the Islands; English serves as the language in schools.

In 2015, the language results from the 2009-2013 American Community Survey were released. This survey polled Hawaii's counties, Honolulu, and Maui. The results showed 1,275 people over five years old spoke Pidgin instead of English at home. Another 335 reported speaking Hawaiian Pidgin.

In 1848, people tried revolutions across Europe. Those who backed the revolutions became "Forty-Eighters"; in the German states, Forty-EightersForty-Eighters backed a unified German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees for human rights.

When the revolution failed, many German Forty-Eighters fled Europe to escape persecution. Some settled in Texas Hill Country. These settlers spoke many dialects. Over time, these dialects mixed with some English, creating a dialect called Texas German.

The dialect grew in parts of Central Texas until WWI. German-speaking Americans tried to blend into American culture to avoid suspicion of supporting the enemy. They spoke English instead of German. They also told their children to only speak English in public.

World wars caused people who spoke Texas German to stop passing the language to younger generations. This makes it a dying language. Almost all remaining Texas German speakers are thought to be over 60.

Hans Boas, a professor at the University of Texas, has started the Texas German Dialect ProjectHe aims to keep the language alive, finding and recording interviews with the last speakers of Texas German before they disappear.

He told the BBC about a unique point of this dialect: "We found no two speakers that speak roughly alike."

Sm'álgyax was not developed in the land that is now the United States. The Coast Tsimshian tribe lived in British Columbia, Canada, near the Skeena River. In the 1850s, missionary William Duncan arrived and tried to change the tribe's traditional ways.

Duncan's arrival split the tribe. Some members kept their old ways; others followed the missionary's path. Duncan and his group then moved to Metlakatla on Annette Island in Alaska. Duncan convinced the US government to give his Coast Tsimshian followers an Indian reservation. This reservation became, and still is, the only one in the entire state.

The tribe's language has struggled to survive. As of 2016, only aboutSeventy people.people could still speak Sm'álgyax.

Boonville, a small California town near San Francisco, is known for its wineries and its own language, Boontling.

This language formed in the late 1800s. It let locals talk or gossip without fear of outsiders understanding them. As Fal Allenexplainedto NPR:

Getting in and out of this valley was tough. People were isolated and did not want outsiders. So, the valley's secret language made perfect sense to them.

Boontling became so common that some locals struggled with standard English. Local schools even taught it.

That situation changed. Allen admitted, "Ya, I by harp a wee slib of the ling." That means he speaks some Boontling but is not fluent. Fewer than 100 people spoke the language in 2015, and even fewer were fluent. Most fluent speakers were older, like Wes Smoot, who created the word "downstreamer" ("old-timer"), which entered Boontling.

The language has about 1,600 words. These include "bahl" ("good"), "nonch" ("bad"), and "horn of zeese" ("a cup of coffee").

Allen hopes Boontling will not disappear soon. Younger residents started a monthly study group to learn the language. He pointed out, "Who doesn't love a secret language?"