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.
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
Non-Member Admission Fee – $2 (Annual Memberships available starting at $25- Learn more at: Memberships)
Refreshments provided by the “Friends of the Historical Museum” (served prior to program).
Program starts at 10am in the DeVore Auditorium (2nd Floor) – Tour to follow at 11am
(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.
About Our Speaker: Mary Kohn
Mary Kohn is an Associate Professor in English and Director of the Chapman Center for Rural Studies at Kansas State University. Her work examines regional and social variation in language with a focus on the Great Plains. She also examines language change across the lifespan through the Frank Porter Graham Project, resulting in books published by Cambridge University Press and Duke University Press.
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit leading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home.