Tangier Island: The Erosion of its Unique Dialect

Tangier is an island off the coast of Virginia, in the Chesapeake Bay. Examining the accents of its residents, this place is seemingly frozen in time; they speak in an unusual, notably British-sounding, dialect. Their strange accent has attracted linguists, who chalk the dialect up to early British settlement patterns in America. Because the island is isolated (only accessible from the mainland by boat or plane), the British accent of the original settlers has remained, and grows stronger amongst today’s Tangier youth. The Tangier dialect has thrived, leftover from British settlers, but is threatened by an unexpected source: climate change. For this blog post, I’ve read a 2016 New York Times article raising awareness of the dangers of a rising sea level that Tangier residents face.  Several reported flooding in their own yards, which is sure to worsen as the Bay encroaches upon their small island. According to the article, the island has lost “two-thirds of its landmass since 1850” (Gertner 2016). This danger is an example of- not language death, as we’ve discussed in class- but possible dialect death. As the island shrinks, inhabitants will scatter from the island to seek refuge, effectively dissolving the community's dialect. The loss of language/dialect occurs for many reasons: natural evolution of language in a community, war, migration, etc. These changes, when abrupt or unwelcome, cause a loss of cultural identity. Climate caused disasters is a unique reason for language death, and another reason to promote environmentally-friendly policy in the U.S., which is a divisive topic in politics. Should the government pay attention to linguistic anthropological concerns like this when it makes decisions in regards to environmental policy?

Gertner, J. (6 July, 2018). Should the United States Save Tangier Island From Oblivion? The New 
          York Times Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/10/magazine/should-            the-united-states-save-tangier-island-from-oblivion.html

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