Is There Such Thing as a ‘Denver Accent’?

It’s easy to forget, but Denver is still a young city, constantly searching for an identity. So it’s confounding why there’s so little research on a characteristic as important as the way we speak. Do Denverites even have an accent? Or maybe there’s more than one? Fortunately, we found some researchers at CU Boulder who are working to cross the t’s and dot the i’s on the particulars of Mile High speech patterns. Host Bree Davies sat down with Jeremy Calder, an assistant professor in the linguistics department, and graduate student Andrew Ting last spring to discuss their “Voices of Colorado” project to hear what they’ve learned about how Denverites speak. 

What do you think about the Denver accent? Text or leave us a voicemail at (720) 500-5418‬. Just remember to include your name and neighborhood, and we might play it on the show!

Paul mentioned the recent sale of the Milk Market food hall, the new effort to block the expansion of Gross Reservoir, and his interview last year with KUNC water reporter Luke Runyon: “Is Denver Hoarding Water?” For more of our water coverage, check out these episodes:

• Is Colorado On Its Way to A True Water Crisis? (May 8, 2023)
• Can Science Fix Our Water Woes? (Jan. 26, 2023)
• Could Denver Run Out of Water? (June 13, 2022)

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

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• Thirst Denver
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• Denver Center for the Performing Arts

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