A River of Words in Pittsburgh
As we've traveled around the country with our American Futures and Our Towns projects since 2013, my husband, Jim, and I have evolved from being skeptics to evangelists about the impact of public arts on communities.
Language
22 posts
How a City Talks About Itself: Sioux Falls
In June 2013, my husband, Jim, and I first landed our small, single-engine Cirrus propeller airplane at the main airport, Joe Foss Field, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was the first…
Language as Art in Pittsburgh
Exiled writers use words as art and inspire a community.
A Word Cloud of Ajo, Arizona
The words we use about ourselves reveal surprising truths
A New Vocabulary for American Towns
Three 21st-century words that are driving the nation's most dynamic municipalities
Swampwise!
Dipthongs turn into monopthongs, and other adventures among the cypress knees.
The Word Cloud of a Town
How the people of Sioux Falls describe themselves and their hometown
‘Where Do You Go to Church?’ The Video and Mapping Versions
More ways of taking the measure of this vast country.
Why We Never Get Over High School
Across the nation, people have different questions they ask when meeting someone new. There are hidden meanings in all of them—including a popular one about schooling.
What We Mean When We Say Hello
The curious geography of American greetings
So, Where Do You Live? What Do You Do?
When we were in Greenville SC recently, I was surprised to learn that a very common follow-up to the greeting of “How do you do?” or “Nice to meet you,”…
Dadgum! Katy, Bar the Door!
Speaking Your Mind in South Carolina
‘Springbok, Cleared for Landing’: More on the Language of the Skies
[See update* below.] On our recent flight home in our small plane from Eastport ME, to Washington DC, we were listening, as we often do, to the air traffic controllers (ATC). They…
‘Tis the L.L.Bean Season for Pinball Wizards and Wicked Good Wieners
I always associate the word “wicked” with the Maine icon L.L.Bean. For good reason: do you know that if you search on the L.L.Bean website for “wicked” that you will…
Do You Speak Eastport?
A town teaches itself to talk positive.
Down East Down Under
When ships sailing downwind are sailing east