David L.Shores, a linguist (话言学家) who was born on Tangier Island,
has found out the reason why the speech of Tangier Island strikes outsiders as strange.
According to Shores, the islanders pronounce their vowels louder and longer, which causes common words to sound different when spoken by Tangier natives.
Some, scholars have said the natives of Tangier speak an old form of English that goes back to the time of Queen F.Elizabeth I.Shores doesn't buy into that theory. "It's not Eliza- bethan English by any means," he says." I doubt if anyone could trace it to that, because the variety of English at that time were great."
Bruce Gordy, a Tangier native and a former teacher at the island's only school, has made a list of 350 strange expressions and words that he says are used and undertook only by the islanders.But Gordy clones’ think it's the strange vocabulary that puzzles outsiders most when hearing Tangier residents speak.
.
"I think what confuses t.hem is the fact that we are ' talking backwards a lot.,"
he say's.
He offers an example."If somebody's stupid, you know what I say?" Gordy says." I'm saying he's smart, but the way I say it makes everyone know I’m emphasizing he's stupid
Both Gordy and Shores believe Tangier's isolation (孤立)has led to the islanders' unusual way of speaking.
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