Talkin' Tar Heel - by Jeffrey Reaser & Walt Wolfram (Paperback)

About the Book

Talkin' Tar Heel: How Our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina

Book Synopsis

Are you considered a "dingbatter," or outsider, when you visit the Outer Banks?
Have you ever noticed a picture in your house hanging a little "sigogglin," or crooked?
Do you enjoy spending time with your "buddyrow," or close friend?

Drawing on over two decades of research and 3,000 recorded interviews from every corner of the state, Walt Wolfram and Jeffrey Reaser's lively book introduces readers to the unique regional, social, and ethnic dialects of North Carolina, as well as its major languages, including American Indian languages and Spanish. Considering how we speak as a reflection of our past and present, Wolfram and Reaser show how languages and dialects are a fascinating way to understand our state's rich and diverse cultural heritage. The book is enhanced by maps and illustrations and augmented by more than 100 audio and video recordings, which can be found online at talkintarheel.com.

Review Quotes

"A scholarly yet readable account. For language lovers, this will be a hoot."--Wilmington Star News

"The authors delve deeply into nuances of the mother tongue as it's practiced throughout the state."--News and Observer

"The most comprehensive merging of linguistics, history, and culture ever assembled on the topic of language, voices, and word usage in the Old North State." --Journal of the North Carolina Association of Historians

About the Author

Walt Wolfram is William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English at North Carolina State University and coauthor of Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks: The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue, among other books. Jeffrey Reaser is associate professor of English at North Carolina State University and coauthor of the curriculum Voices of North Carolina: Language and Life from the Atlantic to the Appalachians.