BOOK 



MARKET 



The Nature of the Coast 



in Fact and Fiction 



From the unfamiliar mysteries of nature to a mystery? of a familiar nature , 

 our book market offers a few reading choices for cool autumn nights. 



By Daun Daemon 



• Language 



Hoi Toide on the Outer 

 Banks: The Story of the 

 Ocracoke Brogue by Walt 

 Wolfram and Natalie Schilling- 

 Estes. The University of North 

 Carolina Press. P.O. Box 2288, 

 Chapel Hill, NC, 27515. 165 pages. 

 Hardcover, $29.95. Paperback. 

 $14.95. ISBN 0-8078-4626-0. 



Folks at the coast need not hop a 

 ship to the British Isles to catch an 

 earful of brogue, but they better listen 

 fast — the brogue of Ocracoke Island is 

 fading. Linguists Wolfram and Schilling- 

 Estes trace the historical influences that 

 gave rise to the dialect and the modern 

 forces that erode it now. The authors 

 examine impacts ranging from Shakespeare 

 to Irish settlers, commercial fishing to 

 tourism. By the end of the history lesson, the 

 reader has a good feel for how languages evolve. 



The authors are most engaging when they slough their 

 scholars* skins and talk to readers as they would a group of 

 native islanders at Albert Styron's General Store. Their 

 descriptions of the dialect's elements will help any 

 dingbatter be less quamished about saying a word with an 

 0' cocker. That is, the book can act as a guide for outsiders 

 who might feel a little queasy about chatting a while with an 

 Ocracoke native. 



A glossary of terms in the second chapter and pronun- 

 ciation guides throughout are helpful, and a vocabulary 

 quiz tests your brogue skill. If you score high, you're an 

 "island genius." 



The last chapter consists of stories 

 told by several "cockers. Though the 

 anecdotes have little to do with the 

 brogue, they offer a poignant glimpse 

 of Ocracoke life in days gone by. 

 These humorous reminiscences will 

 stay clear in your mind long after 

 you've shelved Hoi Toide. 



Nature 



The Nature of North 

 Carolina's Southern Coast: 

 Barrier Islands, Coastal 

 Waters, and Wetlands by Dirk 

 Frankenberg. The University 

 of North Carolina Press. 

 P.O. Box 2288. Chapel Hill. 

 NC. 27515. 250 pages. 

 Paperback. $17.95. 

 ISBN 0-8078-4655-4. 

 Frankenberg "s latest 

 guide to the North Carolina coast focuses 

 on the natural areas from the Outer Banks to South 

 Carolina, including the White Oak River. Brunswick 

 County and Topsail Island. His previous guide. The Nature 

 of the Outer Banks, covered the northern barrier islands. 



In the book's first part. Frankenberg discusses the 

 geologic background, coastal processes and habitats, and 

 natural plant communities of the region. Crisp line drawings 

 of common plants and a text that is scientific but not too 

 technical help him educate the reader about the coast's 

 ecological communities. 



Part two is a clearly written guidebook on how to 

 access and enjoy the beauty and wildness of the coast's 

 natural areas. Frankenberg divulges w hat he considers five- 

 star sites — among them Bear Island. Stump Sound and 



22 AUTUMN 1997 



