Speaking Arizona

Speaking Arizona is a project designed to address major gaps in our understanding of the role of speaking and language in creating and reinventing the identities of different communities in Arizona. The Phoenix metropolitan area is rapidly changing multicultural area with shifting demographic patterns, and the state itself represents a unique mosaic of language communities. It is our plan to meet regularly during the 2006-2007 academic year, reading and discussing Arizona and styles of speaking associated with different communities of practice such as mining or ranching in Arizona. We envision this as a jumping off point for future research on the many language varieties of Arizona.