Roswell Voices: Community Language in a Living Laboratory

Abstract

The Roswell Voices project (RV) began in 2002 as a partnership between the Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB; in Roswell, GA, USA) and academic researchers at the University of Georgia (in Athens, GA, about 60 miles distant). RV is an umbrella under which community development efforts, both cultural and business-oriented, can be associated with the historical and contemporary language and life of the community. These goals align exactly with the European Union’s Living Laboratory network (www.openlivinglabs.eu), and RV has become the first and so far only American member of the network. Community members and the university team cocreate and publish information about community identity. We have published three booklets that the Roswell CVB uses to promote ‘Historic Roswell’ both within the community and for visitors. As time goes on, we believe that business and government can use RV to improve delivery of goods and services. In this way, we believe that RV can take the principle of linguistic gratuity to new audiences and new levels of achievement.