If I recall correctly, linguists have studied the dialect and speech patterns of people from Smith Island. They speak a distinct dialect there. But that may be changing as that island is not so isolated anymore.
>> linguists have studied the dialect and speech patterns of people from Smith Island. They speak a distinct dialect there. But that may be changing as that island is not so isolated anymore <<
Indeed, although I think the forces of modernization may already have demoted the islanders’ speech pattern from a “dialect” to a mere “accent.”
The same situation holds for Virginia’s nearby Tangier Island, where the quaint local accent is almost the same as on Smith Island. Both patterns will probably be virtually extinct within 20 or 30 years. Sad for us lovers of language!