"It's like a whole other language"
Gullah sure is. It's a throwback to the Carribean slave trade, a sort of Creole language combining English, French, Spanish, Portugese and certain West African languages. Sounds pretty when spoken, but for the most part I can't tease any meaning out of it. The language survived on the barrier islands, where many freed former slaves were given the proverbial forty acres and a mule. This land is very popular for development now, and the culture and language is in danger of being wiped out. That would be a shame. I love the differences across our country, especially the dialects. The northern Outer Banks of NC still have echoes of Elizabethan or even Cockney speech patterns... oot and aboot the hoose (out and about the house), hoi toide (high tide), soond soide (sound side), that sort of thing. It's fading, which is sad.
"Until recently, though, Gullahs (sometimes called "Geechee" elsewhere in the South) hid their unique culture, speaking the dialect in private or not at all. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who hails from the Gullah culture of Georgia, has said he was ashamed of the way he used to speak, and indeed, Gullah was mistakenly cast as bad English grammar."
Link to article in full:
http://www.gullahtours.com/bostonglobe.html