JUNE'S TOPIC: "YOU SAY TOMATO, I SAY TOMAHTO: EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE IN KANSAS"

PRESENTED BY MARY KOHN WITH HUMANITIES KANSAS SPEAKERS BUREAU

We’ve all heard that newscasters are trained to speak with a Midwest accent— the so-called “accent from nowhere.” In fact, language reflects people, history, and community. It is intimately tied to our immigrant past, a foundation that, surprisingly, is always changing. This talk will examine the ways language has changed in Kansas over the past hundred years through the examination of archival and contemporary oral history.

Mary Kohn is an associate professor of English and the director of the Chapman Center for Rural Studies at Kansas State University.

“You Say Tomato, I say Tomahto: Evolution of Language in Kansas” is part of Humanities Kansas's Speakers Bureau, featuring humanities-based presentations designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.

Doors open at 9:30am
Program starts at 10am in the DeVore Auditorium (2nd Floor) – Tour to follow at 11am
Non-Member Admission Fee – $2 (Annual Memberships available starting at $25- Learn more at: www.wichitahistory.org)
Refreshments provided by the “Friends of the Historical Museum” (served prior to program 9:30-10am).
(Due to capacity restrictions, program has limited seating of 60.)

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum’s Senior Wednesday programs are made possible through a generous grant from the Charles and Joanne McIlwaine Foundation.

Senior Wednesdays are informational and entertaining sessions, designed for active seniors and offered by a collaboration of local institutions. Learn more at: https://www.seniorwednesday.org/
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum offers their Senior Wednesdays on the 4th Wednesday of each month, January-October. Topics and presenters will be announced as scheduled; check back for updates.