User:AviationFreak/sandbox1





The Tangier Island dialect describes the variant of English spoken by natives of Tangier Island, Virginia, in the Chesapeake Bay.

Phonological features
The most apparent feature of pronunciation within the Tangier Island dialect is that of vowels in stressed syllables, though there are a variety of other unique pronunciations within the vernacular.

"Talking backwards"
Residents of both Smith and Tangier Islands practice a method of speech in certain expressions that involves saying the exact opposite of what one means. Referred to both as "talking backwards" and "over the left talk", expressions of this type are only indicated by a slight change in voice intonation and inflection which (unlike the usual sarcasm often found in vernacular English) can be difficult for non-islanders to distinguish. Such expressions were once followed by the phrase "over the left (shoulder)" (e.g., "No, I don't want to go, over the left", indicating that the speaker is actually excited to go), but as of 2000 this addendum was generally no longer used. Anne Hughes Jander, who moved to the island and lived there for nearly five years, stated that she still occasionally confused the meaning of a statement towards the end of her stay in her 1994 memoir.