Media Release
SAUGEEN PENINSULA, ONTARIO | October 2, 2026 — What do people call the evening meal: supper or dinner? Is it walleye or pickerel? What local expressions, traditions, stories, and memories make the Saugeen Peninsula unlike anywhere else in Ontario?
These are just some of the questions behind Stories from the Saugeen, a new oral history and community heritage initiative led by Sali A. Tagliamonte, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Toronto and founder of the Ontario Dialects Project. The initiative will invite residents who were born and raised in the Saugeen Peninsula to share their life stories, memories, and local knowledge through recorded interviews beginning in Winter 2027.
“The stories people carry with them are often the richest source of local history,” says Tagliamonte. “They tell us how people lived, worked, celebrated, fished, farmed, raised families, and built communities. Much of this history exists nowhere else. If we don’t record it, it can be lost.”
For more than two decades, the Ontario Dialects Project has documented communities across Ontario, collecting oral histories and recording the unique ways people speak and remember their past. The Saugeen Peninsula remains one of the few regions not yet documented within the project.
The project seeks participants from all walks of life who grew up in the region and are willing to spend time sharing memories and experiences. Interviews may be conducted online through Zoom or, where possible, through alternative local arrangements. Participants will receive information about the project, provide informed consent, and may request a copy of their recorded oral history.
Researchers are especially interested in stories about:
-Growing up on the Saugeen Peninsula
-Local traditions, events, and customs
-Fishing, farming, tourism, and outdoor life
-Family histories and community memories
-Distinctive local words, expressions, and place names
-How life in the region has changed over time
“What makes a community unique is often found in everyday conversation,” says Tagliamonte. “The words people use, the names they give places, the stories they tell, and the memories they share are part of our cultural heritage. Together, we can preserve that heritage for future generations.”
For more information email sali.tagliamonte@utoronto.ca or visit https://ontariodialects.artsci.utoronto.ca/
