Editor’s Note: This quiz was created by NC State linguists Walt Wolfram and Brody McCurdy. Wolfram, the William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor, directs the Language and Life Project at NC State. McCurdy, a 2022 alum of NC State’s M.A. in English (linguistics concentration), is a research associate currently studying language change in Chatham County.

In a previous issue of Accolades, we offered a quiz that featured some of the prominent dialects of North Carolina. Interest in this quiz was so great that we decided to do another iteration to illustrate how the dialects of North Carolina are changing.

In some regions, external trends like in-migration, tourism, and other demographic shifts have accelerated change, while more remote, independent rural areas have been changing at a much slower pace. Change may also be affected by other social dynamics as well, such as the emerging role of ethnic identity in different populations.

This brief sample of voices illustrates some of the dynamics of change taking place in the Tar Heel State that reflect the shifting spatial and social dynamics that have affected the state over the past century.

Can You Name Where These Speakers Live?

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