Book overview

The Holler Handbook: A Dictionary of Appalachian Language

By Stephanie Woodie

Step into the heart of the high country, where the air is ‘airish’ and the stories run as deep as the ‘hollers.’ This book is a vibrant tribute to one of America’s most distinct cultural treasures: the Appalachian language. For centuries, the isolation of the mountains has acted as a natural time capsule, preserving the colorful, rhythmic speech of the Scots-Irish, English, and German settlers of the 1700s.

When you hear a mountain ‘old-timer’ speak, you are hearing echoes of Elizabethan England in words like ‘reckon’ and ‘haint.’ Descriptors like ‘sigogglin’ capture the whimsical, observant nature of people who lived close to the land in places like Ashe County, North Carolina.

The Holler Handbook is a definitive collection of over a 100 common Appalachian words and phrases. It is meant to preserve the wit, the warmth, and the unique ‘way of sayin” that defines this resilient heritage. Whether you’re a lifelong local or a ‘jasper’ just passing through, this guide will help you mind your manners and talk the mountain talk. It’s more than a dictionary—it’s a celebration of the mountain tongue.

Highlights inside:

• Over 100 essential words, including ‘victuals,’ ‘britches,’ and ‘a-fixin’’ with pronunciation and example sentences.
• A collection of regional sayings and idioms, such as “Happy as a dead pig in the sunshine” and “Harder than a wood knot.”
• Fascinating “Did You Know?” facts about the history and linguistic origins of the dialect.