Exploring the History, Literature, and Culture of the Tar Heel State
More phrase-frequency charts from Google Books Ngram Reader: — mountain dew vs. Mountain Dew — Michael Jordan vs. Thomas Wolfe, Andy Griffith and Sam Ervin — Lumbee Indians vs. Catawba Indians — Wilmington 10 vs. Chicago Seven — Charlotte Hornets vs. Charlotte Bobcats
More phrase-frequency charts from Google Books Ngram Reader: — Krispy Kreme vs. Dunkin Donuts — Wrightsville Beach vs. Myrtle Beach — LSMFT (Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco) — Reynolds Price vs. Anne Tyler — Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence vs. Protocols of Zion
More phrase-frequency charts from those bustling bibliophiles at Google Books Ngram Reader: — Andy Griffith vs. Don Knotts and Ron Howard — Moonshine vs. NASCAR — Interstate 40 vs. Interstate 77, Interstate 85 and Interstate 95 — Moon Pie vs. sweet potato pie — Piltdown Man vs. Marlboro Man
It’s been a while since I last dumped a batch of North Caroliniana into the Google Books Ngram Viewer, that instantaneous measure of phrase frequency over the decades. Caveat e-lector: This is data at its rawest — conclusions should be jumped to for entertainment purposes only. Here goes: — Duke lacrosse vs. Duke football and … Continue reading “Ngram Viewer is back, and it’s taking (N.C.) names”
The Google Books Ngram Viewer may not be remembered as one of the 21st Century’s most useful (or statistically sophisticated) inventions, but the patterns revealed in its phrase-frequency charts can be addictively entertaining. For example: — Tar Heel vs. Tarheel — beef barbecue vs. pork barbecue — North Carolina football vs. North Carolina basketball — … Continue reading “What’s the frequency, Ngram Viewer?”
“Through various civic activities, [Charles F.] Cates had made the friendship of John Sprunt Hill, an attorney in Durham…. Desiring to do something for his native community of Faison [in Duplin County], Hill persuaded Cates to move his pickle operation there [from Swepsonville in Alamance County], and local farmers were soon persuaded to begin growing … Continue reading “New in the collection: sweet pickles label from Faison”
“The existence of a successful jazz club in [Thelonious] Monk’s home state in May 1970 was an anomaly. Woodstock (August 1969) marked the era….Jazz clubs were closing in bigger cities across the country while Raleigh, with a population of 120,000, wrestled with integration. But Peter Ingram — a scientist from England recruited to work in … Continue reading “Frog and Nightgown: Wrong place, wrong time, but….”
“Mr. Edison’s phonograph preserves a conversation for 100 years. But conversations can be preserved that long without a phonograph. For instance, there is the celebrated conversation between the Governor of North Carolina and the Governor of South Carolina….” — From Daily Alta California, Dec. 26, 1887 (via Louisville Courier-Journal) How many people today would recognize this … Continue reading “The rise and fall of ‘a long time between drinks’”
“I love that you said ‘Scotch-Irish’ instead of this new term ‘Scots-Irish’ that you hear….” — D.G. Martin, interviewing Walt Wolfram on “North Carolina Bookwatch” (May 18) I was surprised to hear “Scots-Irish” described as the newer usage, but sure enough….
As an oft-entertained patron of Google’s Ngram Viewer — et seq. — I’m thrilled to see the New York Times unveil Chronicle, a similar device based on its own archive. And of course my inaugural word search is….