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Motivation for the study

The famous Route 66 has associated with it some great stories and people. The Beats and Jack Kerouac made it somewhat of a legend with their stories of the open road. The song "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" celebrated the romantic idea and freedom that came with the availability of cars and the adventure they brought. Listen to it below:



But Route 66 didn't wind its way across the whole country: it all started with the 300 mile stretch between Chicago and St. Louis. Like the Erie Canal and the Oregon Trail, Route 66 opened up a good chunk of the United States.

Goal of the Study

We are talking to people about how Americans communicate with each other. People across the country are talking to each other more and more, and at the same time we know that local accents are getting more different, in spite of the fact that we all watch the same TV programs. We want to find out how people talk in each region of the country and whether local ways of talking are changing in any way. Examples of some questions asked, although they wouldn't necessarily be asked by each interviewer.

How to Participate

Are you from the area along I-55 between Chicago and St. Louis? Then add telsur.friedman as a skype contact or email telsur.friedman@gmail.com. If you're not from the area, please forward this page or this email onto people who are from the area. A conversation would be very short and not intrusive. We encourage people to only answer questions they feel comfortable with and no names will be used. Thanks for helping out!


Lead interviewer: Lauren Friedman
Facebook page: Route 66 Study
Email at lfri{at}ling{dot}upenn{dot}edu