alternatehistory.com

So I'm not 100% satisfied by this (need to add stuff about indigenous and modern immigrant languages in the future), but here's a spur of the moment post about language in the New English portions of Long Island.

Languages of English Long Island

The dominant tongue in what is commonly known as English (Among Others [1]) Long Island is unsurprisingly the dialect known as Long Island English. The origins of said dialect can be traced to the early years of settlement by the people of Lower Connecticut and Saybrook. While the Long Island portions of LC and SB at first spoke the same English as their brethren on the "Mainland," geographical isolation (Boat rides across the Sound not withstanding) led to a strong divergence after a few decades. Indeed, the push of geographical isolation was further exasperated by the presence of New Netherland - whose economic influence in the form of New Amsterdam controlled trade and whose families intermarried with the Long Island Yankees led to a Dutch influence on the local English perhaps stronger than any other English dialect in the ASB.

It should be noted that the Dutch influence wasn't 100 percent universal. Naturally, it was strongest in the communities on the New Netherland-Lower Connecticut border and weakest in the communities on the Island's far eastern shores. [2] Over the years though, the differences in the Long Island English continuum have become subtle to the point that even people from modern day New Amasterdam can't tell the difference - though a lifelong local with a sharp ear can still tell where another local was raised based on the very slight differences of accent.

Despite the Dutch influence not being completely overwhelming, there was still unfortunately a nasty reaction to said influence. Many Yankee leaders in the towns of Long Island began to irrationally fear becoming culturally New Netherlandish in all but name. As such, a policy of using the "Queen/King's English" in schools/local government became widespread in the second half of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century. Of course, with fears of New Dutch domination proven unfounded and government policy ineffective at changing how Anglo-Dutch and AD friendly families spoke at home, the policy was universally dropped by the 1920s.

By the modern day, Long Island English remains a fun and unique dialect of ASB English that proudly embraces its distinct Dutch-influenced sound (even jokingly embracing the nickname of "East Dutch").

Of course, English isn't the only language in English Long Island. Unsurprisingly, the number of Dutch speakers both native and as a second or third language is quite large. Indeed, the vast majority schools have an extensive/excellent Dutch language program - although "Dutch Only" immersions schools are essentially non-existent.

Other major European languages of note include Yiddish and (Long Island) Italian [3] - both languages whose presence can be traced to immigrants to New Amsterdam who found themselves pushed East for various reasons. With distinct religious/cultural traditions from their neighbors, both Yiddish and Italian speakers have managed to keep their languages and distinct cultural identities alive in English Long Island - and while the number of total speakers for each language is down from its peak in the early 20th century, the existence of multiple immersion schools and the lasting contribution of slang by each language to Long Island English will make sure that the presence of Yiddish and Italian won't vanish from the Island. [4]

Besides various European languages, English Long Island's is also home to the surviving languges of it's indigenous people. Before the arrival of English colonists, English Long Island was home to the Shinnecock and Montauk tribes. Intermarriage/assimilation into Saybrook English colonizers shrunk the Tribal lands of the two groups until each only had their own autonomous town (based on the Massachusetts model) in the Hamptons. While assimilation into the Long Island English majority nearly led to the extinction of the Shinnecock and Montauk languages in the mid-20th century, a major language revitalization program with the backing of the Saybrook government was stared to save the languages. In the present, both the Shinnecock and Montauk are filled with bilingual signs and other markers showing pride in the preservation of their languages. Admittedly, some are still pessimistic and fear that the small population and lack of economic opportunities within the community proper still threaten the existence of their languages (and even their existence as a distinct people), but others are more optimistic and are sure that their language and identity will last for years to come.

And of course, one must not forget the more recent arrival of immigrant languages over the last few decades. While it's most pronounced in the western half L.C.'s portion of Long Island, communities of immigrants speaking their own language can now be found across English Long Island. Besides the presence of "external" immigrant languages from places like Mesoamerica and West Africa, there also exists significant communities of "Internal" immigrants from the rest of the ASB - groups that before the second half of the 20th century didn't ever live in English Long Island in significant numbers. Speaking a diverse collection of languages such as Spanish, French, Cherokee, Miami, etc., these newcomers will surely shape English Long Island in ways that can't be guessed.

[1] Other popular names include Royal/Anglo Long Island. Yankee/New English Long Island have also been historically used, but these two have fallen out of popular use. The locals themselves just call their home Long Island (While considering the N.N. portions of the Island simply an extension of New Amsterdam), but some proponents of the Long Island statehood movement have proposed using Eli (E.L.I.) as a possible name for any future state.

[2] A popular 18th/19th century stereotype of the English found in the Saybrook portions of the Island is that it had a very "Old-Fashioned" sound to it. For better or worse, this stereotype had completely died out in the first few years of the 20th century.

[3] With the strong Dutch/English influence and some reforms by an alliance of educators/community leaders in the 20th century, the Italian spoken on English Long Island (and in Metro New Amsterdam) is distinct enough to give anyone who speaks only Standard Italian trouble understanding it. Some Long Island Italian speakers even consider it a distinct language from Standard Italian, Sicilian, and Neapolitan. Whether if it is or not is a matter of debate among in-universe linguists.

[4] Mind you, these groups aren't the only late 19th/early 20th century immigrant groups, but they were the most successful at keeping their identies distinct from the broader Long Island English group.