Re: Speaking of Accents

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: : : : : : My husband had heard that the Virginia Tidewater accent is actually the way the first colonials from England spoke.  Does anyone know if there is any truth to this?

: : : : : : Dana S.

: : : : : 
: : : : : Yes, there is truth to this. There is a specific place, the name of which escapes me, but yeah, it's basically true!

: : : : I've also heard that this was true about some of the real
: : : : oldtimers living on the Outer Banks of NC. And there may
: : : : be a few pockets left in the Appalachians where you can
: : : : hear traces of it, but it's dying out rapidly. There are
: : : : two really good books that talk about this, both by
: : : : Horace Kephart -- "Our Southern Highlanders" and "Smoky
: : : : Mountain Voices." And how about the music? The more I
: : : : listen to traditional Irish and Scots music and bluegrass,
: : : : you hear all the parallels. Fascinating stuff. 

: : : : I know, I know -- an unusual Doc M. post. It happens
: : : : once in a while. Maybe I got hit in the head! VBG!

: : : : Doc M

: : : 
: : : Doc M,

: : : You are very right! Here in Eastern NC we call them hightiders (pronounced somthing like hoitoiders) and this accent is especially evident on Ocracoke (we call them O'kockers -sp?). Sometimes you can't even understand them - and they're speaking ENGLISH!! My ex-husband had a bit of this accent and the first time he came to meet my family, my then four year old neice fell in love with him. She sat on his lap all evening and just googled up at him. Then at the end of the evening when everyone was making ready to leave and saying good-byes - she looked up at him and said "Speaky english." She's 18 now and we still tease her about that at holiday get-togethers!

: : : Diana

: : Thanks, Diana! I thought it was something like that, but I
: : couldn't remember. (Too many nightcaps at Bumppo's!) When
: : I was very little, back in the Pleistocene Era, we visited
: : a relative that lived in the northern part of Virginia.
: : She was probably in her eighties, and I remember asking
: : her when we were going to eat dinner, and her reply was
: : something like "Mought be we'll have a bait ere long,"
: : said with this wonderful twangy accent. So much is gone --
: : now all the kids around there, and I guess everywhere
: : else, only speak Mallrat-ese...like, you know. Duhhhh.

: : Doc M
: ~~~~~~~~~~
: Thanks, all, for filling me in.  This has been very interesting!!  I agree with you Doc M, about the similarities in music on both sides if the Atlantic.  

: Dana S


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