The Rhode Island Language and Culture study is a Brown University research study (IRB #STUDY00000419). We are a team of researchers from the Linguistics Program at Brown, led by Dr. Jaime Benheim (jaime_benheim [at] brown.edu). As sociolinguists, we are interested in what differences in how people use language can tell us about culture and social practice. We want to know how people’s linguistic choices map onto their communities, viewpoints, and identities.

We are interested in documenting language and its relationship to social life in Rhode Island. In 2024-2025, we are focusing on interviewing lifelong Rhode Islanders with a past or present connection to Providence, the state’s largest city.

Click to learn more about the study or sign up to participate!