Minnesoahtan Ligatures Small handbook created to present research and development of phonetic ligatures based on a regional accent. In this case, the infamous Minnesotan accent. The typeface Futura was selected as a test subject in accordance with my study of early modernist principles. And yes, ideally a tape recording of my mother would be included with each booklet. Fall 2006.

Background:
This book serves as a display and demonstration of an application of regional dialect in speech to an early modernist typographic system. Since Minnesota is my home and I have the most experience with that region's particular accent, I found it to be the most suitable choice. The purpose of creating these ligatures was to explore how modernist ideas might fit into a contemporary life context seemingly filled with anomalies, hybrids, and provincialism.
The quintessential Minnesotan accent is not as extreme as that portrayed in the film Fargo, but rather is a subtle mix of Scandinavian and Germanic vowel sounds. For instance, there is the "long-o" sound heard in such words as "boat" and "low." I believe it is quite possible that the "long-o" is a derivative of a larger collection of behaviors and habits related to the common Minnesotan's sense of place. Consider, for instance, that our long good-byes are likely formed from a historic conditioning by the climate to want to stay indoors, to have another drink, and in general any avoidance of the cold. The question is, could such behaviors influence speech down to the vowels within a word?