The dialect traditionally spoken in the western parts of North Carolina goes by many names—Smoky Mountain English, Southern Mountain Talk, and Appalachian Dialect, to name a few. In this episode, oral history interns Fiona Allen and Bree Dumont lead host John Horan and guests Brooke Csuka and Josh Hager on a lexicological journey through this most colorful patois. Learn about how this dialect combines influences from surrounding states as well as multiple cultures, including members of the Cherokee Nation, the African diaspora, and immigrants from all over western Europe. Following the lesson, Fiona and Bree quiz John, Brooke, and Josh on the meaning of several words found in collections in the State Archives and State Library of North Carolina holdings. Do you know the Appalachian dialect meaning of “granny woman,” “airish,” or “booger”? You’ll find out those surprising definitions and many more in this installment of Connecting the Docs.
Sources Mentioned:
Suggested Archival Collections:
North Carolina Arts Council Record Group. Folklife Section: Resource File, 1796-2011. Finding aid available in DOC: https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:703805.
Western Regional Archives collections. Explore their finding aids on our website: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/finding-aids/western-regional-archives-finding-aids
Other Works Cited:
“Dialect Words in North Carolina.” Tar Heel Junior Historian, 2006 Spring, Volume 45, No. 2. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.
George Hovis, “The Art of Healing: An Interview with Lee Smith.” North Carolina Literary Review, 2021, No. 30, Pages 7-21. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.
Margaret Bauer, “Genre Conventions with a Half-Twist: An Interview with Charles Frazier.” North Carolina Literary Review, 2013, No. 22, Pages 21-42. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.
North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development, “Conservation and Industry.” 1932, Volume 8, No. 1. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.
North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, “North Carolina Manual,” 1945-1946. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.
Tar Heel Junior Historian, 1979 Fall, Volume 19, No. 1. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.
Tar Heel Junior Historian, 2005 Fall, Volume 45, No. 1, Page 22. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.
Uncovered Stories, Episode 3: The Revolutionary Ruthey Jackson Letter
Uncovered Stories, Episode 2: Marginalized Communities in Early Statehood General Assembly Records
Uncovered Stories, Episode 1: Finding Enslaved Labor in the Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers
Ask an Archivist: Fan Letters
Year of the Trail: Interview with Special Guest Secretary D. Reid Wilson
We Beg Your Pardon: The Saga of Slow Poke
Year of the Trail: Indian Trading Paths
Year of the Trail: Mountains to Sea Trail
Resiliency in Records Management: Disaster Preparedness and Protecting Essential Records
Resiliency in the Face of Natural Disasters: Other Storms and Natural Disasters
Resiliency in the Face of Natural Disasters: North Carolina Hurricanes
Ballads and Banjos and Fiddles, Oh My: Appalachian Music Spotlight
Searching for a Spy: A Conversation with Dr. David Cecelski on Discovering the Legend of Abraham Galloway
Exploring Island Life in the John Wilson IV Papers: A Summer Internship at the Outer Banks History Center
True Stories Behind Where the Crawdads Sing: Oyster Wars
True Stories Behind Where the Crawdads Sing: Education and Truancy in Eastern North Carolina
True Stories Behind Where the Crawdads Sing: Historic Black Communities of Eastern North Carolina
Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem Revisited: The True Stories behind North Carolina Murder Ballads
The Journey of an Archival Record. Part III: Digitization and Access
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