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The dialects spoken in ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ are in many ways richer than even most  locals realize. For instance, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ English is consistently identified as among the 'best' forms of English in the US by people from other regions. At the same time, the way that ŷ���ڱ���Ƶans talk has long been recognized by sociolinguists as distinct from the English spoken in other parts of the West and Midwest. Further, there is no single type of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ English, as the Rocky Mountain region is home to numerous dialects, some of which have remained relatively isolated since settlement during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in the mid-1800s. ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ's important role in the early American West also set the stage for interaction among speakers of a number of different languages. In addition to different varieties of English, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ is home to indigenous languages like Arapaho and the special dialects of Spanish spoken in southwestern communities founded before the arrival of English-speaking settlers. Despite ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ's fascinating linguistic history, very little linguistic research has focused specifically on our state. Scholars in the Linguistics department have therefore created a research initiative called the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Voices Project, in order to learn more about what makes ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ dialects unique. Donations to the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Voices Project will provide support for data collection throughout the state and the establishment of a multimedia library that will provide resources for teaching about language in ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ. For more information, contact Professor J Calder at Jeremy.Calder@colorado.edu.

Ethnography in Progress is a workshop series hosted by the Department of Anthropology: a venue to discuss and provide feedback on working papers and drafts in cultural anthropology, ethnography, and anthropological or ethnographic theory. We welcome article drafts, dissertation or book chapters, MA thesis drafts, job talk drafts, and other pieces in process from faculty and graduate students. Papers are circulated four days prior to the workshop, and participants come ready to discuss. A graduate student discussant reviews each paper, summarizing the piece’s arguments and creating starting points for conversation and constructive feedback. The goal of this series is not to present finished work, but rather for faculty and graduate students to workshop and provide constructive feedback on pieces which are not yet complete. We encourage graduate students to work closely with their advisors to prepare their drafts for submission. The series fosters a sense of community, knowledge of ethnographic research subjects, and a model for intellectual engagement. For more information, contact Professor Kathryn Goldfarb at Kathryn.Goldfarb@colorado.edu.

Many of our CLASP graduate students are engaged in the administration of LING 1900: The Literacy Practicum. The Literacy Practicum is an outreach program that works with at-risk readers in the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Front Range community to provide resources and support to improve literacy skills. ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ students enrolled in LING 1000 (Language in US Society) have the opportunity to earn an extra credit hour while helping these at-risk readers, many from immigrant families where English is not spoken as the native language. LING 1900 participants visit one of our community partners on a weekly basis to volunteer as a “reading buddy” for children or adults within the Boulder area.

Students who have participated in the LING 1900 Literacy Practicum have found it extremely rewarding to discover that they can have a profound impact on the lives of developing children and adult learners. Illiteracy, as well as limited command of the English language, restricts opportunities both economically and politically for many people living and working in the United States. Therefore, students participating in the Literacy Practicum not only learn the theory behind the social problem of illiteracy, they also learn to be part of the solution.

For more information about this teaching initiative, visit the LING 1900 website or contact Professor Kira Hall at kira.hall@colorado.edu.