I took Belle with me up to Elkin a couple of days ago. We stopped by Terry’s Cafe and Catering, a mom and pop’s restaurant in State Road, to grab a down-home lunch. Their food is delish! While we ate, I overheard a man bring up his plans for Thursdee night. I smiled. He was speaking my language. Mondee, Tuesdee, Wednesdee are familiar to me; words that make me feel right at home.

There are five distinct dialects in North Carolina, making us one of the most linguistically diverse states in the US. But as varied as the dialects can be, some pronunciations cross linguistic lines.

The articulation of the weekdays is something every dialect in North Carolina seems to agree on. Around here, we tend to swap day for dee when we say the days of the week. We go to high school football games on Fridee night and church on Sundee morning.

I’ve heard the days of the week pronounced this way my whole life. Everyone from Mamaw and Papaw in Appalachia to Mama Clark and Mimi in the Sandhills to Grandma and Grandpa on the coast said it the same way. Every once in a while, after a glass of wine, I say it that way too.