The IDEA website contains samples of speaking of hundreds of speakers–first reading one of two texts, and then just speaking, unscripted, about themselves. This is a great way to hear a bunch of voices speaking briefly and informally, and a way to explore the everyday culture of growing up in (and across) different regions of the U.S. and the world. The transcription is not perfect: “um,” “uh,” and words such as “like” and “yeah” are not included, which is unfortunate, because these pauses to think or to signal topic changes are very useful for everyday communication.
You can browse lists organized by speaker location, or browse via geography on a world map.
