Folklife, a type of inquiry that focuses on "ways of life" as its central lens, is constantly changing. Rather than focus on cultural loss or salvaging, folklife inquiry is more powerful when it is positioned to offer insights about human experience through the sharing of personal lived histories in safe and supportive environments. At…

Despite its rich heritage and enduring popularity, country music has historically been marginalized in American music education, usually in favor of more "high-brow" musical practices. This article explores potential explanations for this imbalance within the context of a general overview of cultural and social considerations and…

American slang reflects diversity, imagination, self-confidence, and optimism of the American people. Its vitality is due in part to the guarantee of free speech and lack of a national academy of language or of any official attempt to purify American speech, in part to Americans' historic geographic mobility. Such "folksay" includes…