Nov 11 2007
OCRACOKE ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA
Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina was first settled by Europeans in the early 18th century by families mainly from Ireland and southwest England moving down the barrier islands from Tidewater Virginia, Ocracoke remained isolated until about 60 years ago. The first ferry service, from Hatteras Island in the north, begun in 1957 and in 1964 the mainland route started from Cedar Island. The locals like to refer to themselves as O’cockers, kept the speech patterns of their ancestors. One product is a drawl resembling that found in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. O’cockers pronounce the ‘’i'’ sound as an ‘’oi,'’. The drawl is quite an attraction to visitors, if you are lucky to find someone who still has it. The local drawl is fast disappearing, Walt Wolfram, a North Carolina State University sociolinguist has studied this vernacular for nearly ten years. According to him the drawl is already extinct; it has become a victim of change, mainly through increased contact with tourists, increased visits out of the island, and television. Ocracoke’s history is littered with countless ship wrecks and is commonly referred to as the grave yard of the Atlantic. Hundreds of sea farers have died in shipwrecks off its shores; many of them were buried in the sand dunes along Route twelve. In 1942 Hitler dispatched U-boats to North Carolina, the locals unwittingly aided the German boats by leaving there lights on in the night. The Germans were quick to take advantage and they managed to sink 39 ships that year. The island is a great place to visit, beaches are exquisite and anglers paradise.
