Linguists at NC State claim that there’s more dialect diversity in North Carolina than any other state. How is it that North Carolina ended up so dialectally diverse and what does it all mean? The voices of the states’ residents reveal much about both the state’s history and its recent transformations. This talk explores the linguistic legacy of North Carolina through audio and visual vignettes of residents of the state. Topics covered include the unique place names of North Carolina locales, local phrases such as “bless your heart,” dialects from Murphy to Manteo, the effect of Yankees on Southern speech, and other languages including Spanish and Cherokee.

Registration deadline: Nov. 23