Tangier Island

Tangier Island

An island in Chesapeake Bay is disappearing — and so is a British dialect and a piece of history

Environment

Tangier Island off the coast of Virginia seems on a march toward oblivion — in some areas, 15 to 16 feet of land are disappearing each year. Only 470 people live there now, but they have an old English dialect — marked by “backwards talk” — and a history of being home to freed slaves.

Tangier Island

An island in Chesapeake Bay is disappearing — and so is a British dialect and a piece of history

Environment