Hartford, Language and City’s Diversity

By

Tianshu Chu

The following recordings were recorded from 4 different areas around Hartford. The first part is a conversation between several Chinese students in a Korean restaurant in West Hartford. The second part is a Chinese student having a conversation with a Danish Driver. The third part is a Japanese student is introducing his hometown. The last part of the recording is a Chinese student having a Ski lesson with an American coach in the Mount Southington ski area. From these four recordings, we can hear citizens’ voices from 5 different cultures. These conversations and recordings could reflect the diversity of Hartford city through various languages and other conversation topics related to different cultures.

Hartford is a city that emerged with many different races; there are Asian, Native American, White, African American, and Hispanic citizens in this area. These people represent diverse backgrounds and cultures, especially for the international visitors who are not a resident in Hartford or any other part of America. Their daily conversation shows the race structure of this city, also could reflect the life of minority groups.

Many clues and stories are hidden in the sound and voice of city residents. However, most of them are ignored and lost since nobody record these conversations. This recording only takes four conversations. On the other hand, millions of people talk in the city every day. If we can collect the information of their words,  the information in these talks could help planners find the demands of citizens and use them in the city’s planning.

References

[1] State CT Report, (2022). ‘Hartford, Connecticut Population 2021’, World Population Review