Researching the Obvious

Do you have an accent? The answer is undoubtedly YES! Language is constantly evolving and can become a distinct identifier of where you live, where you’re from or both.

Attending school in New England and being from different regions of the US, Katie and Emily have always been fascinated with the way people pronounce words, the words they choose and how it represents where they come from. How did the regions of the United States get such distinct accents and dialects? Is it a firefly or a lightning bug? Do “cot” and “caught” sound the same to you?  Enjoy Katie and Emily’s Midland and Northern American accents in this episode while they discuss what we say and why we say it that way.

What is the difference between a dialect and an accent?

What are some of the regional accents and dialects found in the US?

How do accents form?

What dialects and accents exist in the US today?

What are some of the well known shifts in pronunciation that are represented in the US?

What are some common dialectical differences between regions in the US?

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180207-how-americans-preserved-british-english 

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/resource-library-evolution-language/ 

https://people.howstuffworks.com/how-accents-develop-language.htm 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_American_English

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20180206-the-tiny-us-island-with-a-british-accent 

https://www.vox.com/2014/11/17/7082317/language-maps-charts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_American_English

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cot%E2%80%93caught_merger

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Northern_American_English

MAPS: 

https://aschmann.net/AmEng/ 

https://www.vox.com/2014/11/17/7082317/language-maps-charts

https://www.businessinsider.com/american-english-dialects-maps-2018-1#much-of-the-population-hasnt-heard-of-drive-through-liquor-stores-which-some-virginians-call-a-brew-thru-22

Take a guess: what is the most widely sold packaged beverage in the US? If you didn’t guess bottled water, you’re not alone! Katie and Emily have been diving into the bottled water industry throughout the past ten years and unearthed a few facts and figures they find fascinating. Whether you’re a water connoisseur or a tap-only purist, this episode will wet your appetite with some not so obvious research about bottled water.

When did bottled water become a thing? 

Why are there so many types of bottled water? 

Is there a difference between purified water and spring water? 

Wtf is a water sommelier?!? 

Sources: 

https://www.thekitchn.com/a-brief-history-of-bottled-water-228642 

https://hles.unl.edu/spring-vs-purified-bottled-water

“Constructing purity: Bottled water and the commodification of nature”, Andy Opel, Journal of American Culture; Winter 1999; 22, 4

https://www.seriouseats.com/how-bottled-water-became-americas-most-popular-beverage

https://berkeleyspringswatertasting.com/winners/ 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7b5bv/taste-water-sommelier-tap-distilled-minerals 

MAPS: 

https://images.app.goo.gl/4LHwezMhncfQUS7DA

Summer Olympics 2024 is here! Whether you’ve been tuning in to the Games or you’ve never watched a single sport, Katie and Emily are here to give you some background knowledge about this international event. Race over to this episode to learn everything from the ancient origins of the games themselves to how much money host cities are truly spending to put on the two-week spectacle. 

Why did the ancient Greeks create the Olympics? 

When did the modern Olympics get their start? 

What are some past, present, and future sports included in the Games? 

How do cities get picked to host the Olympics anyway? 

Did ancient Greeks really participate in sports in the nude???

Sources: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_01.shtml 

https://news.arizona.edu/news/olympics-then-and-now 

https://www.britannica.com/story/how-are-sports-chosen-for-the-olympics 

https://www.sportico.com/leagues/olympics/2024/new-olympic-sports-2024-paris-1234775913/

https://www.thecollector.com/how-the-modern-olympic-games-established/ 

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2804554. https://www.yahoo.com/news/does-olympic-host-city-chosen-173133604.html 

https://www.businessinsider.com/abandoned-olympic-venues-current-day-pictures-2016-5#the-site-remained-untouched-for-months-six-months-after-the-closing-ceremony-trash-from-the-games-was-still-visible-34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYSMOvY_6rs 

https://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/how-lucas-oil-stadium-transformed-into-two-swimming-pools-for-team-usas-2024-olympic-swim-trials/

MAPS

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Summer_olympics_all_cities.PNG

Do you like to eat? It’s one of Emily & Katie’s favorite hobbies and luckily, from New England to the Midwest, they have lived in and visited several states and cities with unique regional food offerings. In this mouthwatering episode, Emily and Katie discuss what makes a food “regional” in the United States and how our melting pot of cuisines has produced some truly iconic dishes.  What makes a “comfort food” so comforting and what do you think of eating first when you’re at “home”?

Why do we have unique regional foods throughout the United States?

What are some of the well-known regional dishes Katie and Emily have experienced and how delicious are they?

What makes New England Whoopie Pies the best?

How did these dishes get created and become regional staples?

What the heck is coffee milk?

Sources:

• The Taste of American Place: A Reader on Regional and Ethnic Foods by Shortridge and Shortridge
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53787329

NY:

• https://time.com/3957370/buffalo-wings/
• 'I Know I'm Home When I Have One:' the Cultural Significance of the Garbage Plate of Rochester, NY by E. Fekete

NH & New England:

• https://www.providencejournal.com/story/lifestyle/food/2023/10/09/what-is-coffee-milk-and-why-do-only-rhode-islanders-know-about-it-cabinets-autocrat-daves-syrup/71050289007/

Indiana & Kentucky:

• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/indiana/tenderloin-trail-indiana/
• https://www.eater.com/2018/3/21/17128954/pork-tenderloin-sandwich-indiana-history-nicks-kitchen 
• https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/the-history-of-a-hoosier-favorite-pork-tenderloin
• https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/piehistory/sugarcreampie.html
• https://www.brownhotel.com/dining/hot-brown
• https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/burgoo/

MAPS!

• https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=410725034412858&set=pb.100064260956622.-2207520000&type=3
• https://www.tasteatlas.com/map?ref=main-menu

Join Emily and Katie, two self-proclaimed obsessed cat people discussing the history of the “domestication” of modern house cats. Have you ever seen a cat get random zoomies? That’s kind of like this conversation about how much they love cats. As two dedicated cat guardians, Emily & Katie reflect on their previous kitty companions and obsession with all things cat-related.

How did cats end up domesticated and are they truly domesticated?

What historic companionship roles have cats played over the years for humans?

Get to know Emily and Katie’s kitty roommates past and present.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-taming-of-the-cat/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-022-00568-4 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/domesticated-cats-dna-genetics-pets-science 

https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/zoology/item/how-did-cats-become-domesticated/ 

MAPS!

Nat Geo cat map research study: cat tracker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0n2kxkdJgM)

Americans love their beer and liquor, but when and where can you buy it? It depends on the state, county, or municipality you’re living in! Emily and Katie discuss the various state liquor laws they’ve encountered over the years based on where they’ve lived from New Hampshire to Kansas to Indiana.  

Why are liquor laws different between states?

What kind of unique regulations do states enforce for beer and liquor?

What are some fun and quirky facts that distinguish some states from others?

What is it like to live in a state where liquor sales and distribution is handled entirely by the state?

https://www.inquirer.com/philly-tips/pennsylvania-liquor-laws.html

https://www.nabca.org/structure-of-us-alcohol-regulation

https://sascommunities.github.io/graphics-programming/robert/us_dry_counties.htm

With two broods emerging simultaneously this year, the media is abuzz with cicada facts.  Emily and Katie reflect on their first conversation about cicadas over ten years ago and what they discovered during a late night google-dive. Join them as they discuss some of the obvious and less obvious knowledge around these fascinating insects.

What is the difference between a cicada and a locust and why do people get them confused?

What broods are emerging this year?

What is the lifecycle of a cicada and why are they unique?

http://www.morganloghouse.org/cicada/

https://www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/cicadas-are-making-a-rare-appearance-in-indiana-in-2024-indy-star/

https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/common-cicadas-of-indiana/ 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/foresthealth/docs/CicadaBroodStaticMap.pdf