The Talking Appalachian Podcast

What did you think of this episode? Southern accents are in the news again (but they've really never left our hearts and minds). Maybe it was Parker Posey's White Lotus character from North Carolina, who stole hearts with her syrupy vowels that created the latest buzz. But the conversation always leads to: are Southern accents fading? The short answer is, it's more complicated than...

What did you think of this episode? In this episode, we head back to May 2, 1929, when a deadly tornado tore through the small mountain community of Rye Cove, Virginia, claiming the lives of 12 schoolchildren and one teacher and leaving lasting scars on the region. We explore: What happened that spring afternoon in Rye Cove and the impact on the community. How the tragedy inspired a haunting balla...

What did you think of this episode? Outlander fans will enjoy this episode, where we trace the winding trail of language from the misty Highlands of Scotland to the shaded hollers of Appalachia. Along the way, we unpack double modals like “might could,” trace the evolution of the word highlander and outlander, and reflect on how language becomes a legacy you carry in your mouth. Hear about the rea...

What did you think of this episode? Have you ever tried text to speech with your accent, only to find your message garbled? In this episode of The Talking Appalachian Podcast , we'll explore speech technology and how AI interacts (and doesn't) with the unique accents found across America, including those in Appalachia. We discuss the 30 most misunderstood American accents by AI, trace th...

What did you think of this episode? Jeannette Walls is hailed as one of the world's most gifted storytellers, and she's been sharing her remarkable story of resilience and redemption with audience since her memoir, The Glass Castle , was published in 2005. The book chronicles her dysfunctional and nomadic upbringing, part of which took place in Welch, West Virginia. It was a NYT bestsell...

What did you think of this episode? In episode 50, we will talk about the word "Melungeon," its multiple meanings, and the history of a mysterious Appalachian people known as the "lost tribe" (who claim Elvis and Abraham Lincoln among their members.) Appalachian historian Dr. Brian McKnight joins me as we dive into a dark part of Virginia's history, the 1924 Racial Integri...

What did you think of this episode? Listen to find out what word people are replacing with the euphemism "dadgum." Then, author and Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House reads from his essay "In My Own Country," about how his parents learned to defeat those who were making fun of their accents....one word at a time. Listen to holocaust survivor Yvette Purdue's story of escapi...

What did you think of this episode? You know the phrases "How do you like them apples?" and "Them's fightin' words!" We'll talk about the Scotch-Irish roots of them for these and those.  Then, I'll tell you three of the top reasons why Appalachian speakers won't give up their dialects despite the risk of stigma. Then listen to an excerpt from the essay...

What did you think of this episode? "Here's you a piece of pizza. Where's me some silverware? There's us a table." We'll talk about this common grammar pattern and where it's spoken. Then, we'll switch to the word "wool," a word used as a verb in vernacular southern Englishes since the 19th century, as in, "The little boy is wooling that kitte...

What did you think of this episode? Listen to more of the best clips from 2024's podcast episode, including: Jack Beck talking about the influence of Scots Gaelic; Jane Hicks reading from her book of poetry, The Safety of Small Things ; The origins of the word "redneck,"; A conversation with Hillbilly documentary director Ashley York; Adriana Trigiani on what it means to be Appalach...

What did you think of this episode? This episode includes highlights from some of the best episodes of 2024, which include: my interview with Pulitzer-winning reporter and memoirist Rick Bragg; a study of two letters written a century apart and their dialect similarities; what I learned about an ancient Pictish language during a visit to Ireland; my interview with co-researcher Will Isom and the s...

What did you think of this episode? We're exploring some Appalachian Christmas traditions in this episode from The Christmas poke, or treat bag, to the term "Hard Candy Christmas," made popular in a Dolly Parton song. We'll also talk about Old Christmas, its origins, and why people still recognize January 6th as the one true Christmas Day. Support the show *Subscribe wherever y...

What did you think of this episode? In this places and spaces episode that starts in the northern reaches of the Appalachian plateau, we travel from quaint Sleepy Hollow, New York to the serene sands of Sunset Beach, North Carolina, uncovering stories of history, literature, and connection (in a special little mailbox) along the way. This adventure begins in the Hudson Valley, where we explore the...

What did you think of this episode? This episode is about a word and a phrase that are still commonly used in the Appalachian region. First, I'll offer a little refresher on what makes up a dialect and how these words fit in. We'll talk about "directly" as in "I'll be there directly" and the phrase needs + a participle (like washed .) Who uses them and where? Wha...

What did you think of this episode? In this "Places and Spaces" episode, we'll mark the October anniversary of Edgar Allen Poe's mysterious death with a visit to Poe's house in Baltimore and the cemetery where he is buried.  Then, listen to a haunting reading of "The Raven" (with audio by Brock Davidson.) Special thanks to Brock Davidson for lending his voice to...

What did you think of this episode?  In this chilling episode (just in time for spooky week), SWVA Museum Education Specialist Burke Greear joins me to talk about pre-funeral industry Appalachian customs and superstitions surrounding premonitions, death and burial. We'll explore the roots of terms like "death watch," "sitting up with the dead," "pallbearer," &quo...

What did you think of this episode? The co-editors of Appalachian Reckoning: a Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy   and the author of Hillbilly: a Cultural History of an American Icon  join me to talk about the region's literary response to J.D. Vance's book, the layered meanings of "hillbilly," and why reclaiming accent matters to so many of us. We'll also talk about Hurr...

What did you think of this episode? Appalshop was founded in eastern Kentucky in 1969, providing "space for Appalachians to tell their own stories in their own words." Its founding followed the War on Poverty, when Appalachia was put on display for the rest of the world in a way that cemented stereotypical thinking about the region. Since then, it has grown to include not only filmmaking...

What did you think of this episode? Adri and I sit down at the Library of Virginia to catch up and talk about writing, The Origin Project , her podcast ( You Are What You Read ), and ten years since the release of her hometown movie Big Stone Gap . Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her “dazzling” novels, ( USA Today ) Adriana Trigiani is The New York Times bestselling author of t...

What did you think of this episode? Poet Jane Hicks is the author of three award-winning poetry collections: Blood and Bone Remember , Driving with the Dead , and recently, The Safety of Small Things (University Press of Kentucky/Fireside Imprint) . She also wrote the essay "A Matter of Perception" for Talking Appalachian (the book.) In our conversation, we talk about our speech patterns...

What did you think of this episode? In this episode, I explore the word "hillbilly" with native Kentuckian and documentary filmmaker Ashley York, who co-directed the award-winning film by the same name in 2018. I talk about the history of the word first, and then Ashley and I discuss what it was like to return to central Appalachia  to interview family, friends, and "heroes" as...

What did you think of this episode? Redneck. Hillbilly. White Trash . These are some of the class-based words used to describe people of Appalachia. But did you know that redneck, in particular, has a very special meaning associated with red bandanas worn in solidarity by striking coal miners? Included is an excerpted interview from 1974 with coal miners Herbert Grills and John Tiller, who talk ab...

What did you think of this episode? Musician and storyteller Jack Beck, a native of Dunfermline, Scotland, joins me in this episode to talk about his homeland's cultural connection to the Appalachian region. He'll tell us about: how Scots-English came to be part of the Appalachian dialect (in our surnames, occupational names, and place names, for example); how he was discouraged from spe...

What did you think of this episode? In this continuation of the Barbara Kingsolver episodes, the eastern Kentucky native gives her last talk on her novel, Demon Copperhead on the campus of The University of Virginia's College at Wise , following our discussion in Part I. She reads from the opening scene of the novel; talks about the places that inspired her in Lee County, Virginia (my home co...

What did you think of this episode? In this first of two episodes with the author of Demon Copperhead , Barbara Kingsolver says she is "bringing Demon home" in her last talk about the novel. She discusses her love of her Appalachian language, how the novel began at the desk of Charles Dickens, and her research into foster care, football, and addiction. (Recorded in Wise County, Virginia...