In a Manner of Speaking

Apr 01 2024 154

In a Manner of Speaking Podcast artwork

Welcome to Paul Meier's free, monthly "In a Manner of Speaking" podcasts, which he began in February 2018. Each podcast tackles a topic related to the spoken word, including idiolects, news reading, pragmatics, code-switching, Original Pronunciation, phonetics, dialect clichés and stereotypes, and dialects of indigenous peoples. Paul also invites guests, such as renowned linguist David Crystal, indigenous-speech expert Eric Armstrong, Audie Award-winning audiobook narrators Tavia Gilbert and Julia Whelan, renowned dialect coaches and designers Jim Johnson and Amy Stoller, actress Laraine Newman, and Australian bestseller writer Mem Fox. (Bach's Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)

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Episode 75 (Loudmouths and the Sound of Silence)

Apr 01 2024 25 mins

For the April 2024 podcast, Paul explores loudness, or the lack thereof. Just as he examined extremes of pitch and speed in past episodes, Paul discusses extremes of volume, looking at world records for loudness while reflecting on the rarity of true silence.

Episode 74 (Folk Linguistics)

Mar 01 2024 39 mins

Welcome to the March 2024 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," in which Paul discusses folk linguistics with dialectologist Dennis Preston, professor emeritus at Oklahoma State University and former president of the American Dialect Society. To learn more about the topic and Professor Preston, and for extra, free content, visit the podcast episode page at PaulMeier.com/I

Episode 73 (The American Dialect Society)

Feb 01 2024 47 mins

The February 2024 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking" is all about the American Dialect Society, which was founded in 1889 to study English and other languages in North America. Paul's guest is Betsy Evans, the new executive director of the society. For more info, visit Episode 73 at PaulMeier.com/In-A-Manner-Of-Speaking.

Episode 72 (The Word: an Illusive Concept)

Jan 01 2024 41 mins

Paul begins 2024 with a discussion about the fundamental nature of the core topic of this podcast: the word. Specifically, he discusses the concept of the word itself, with Victor Boucher, professor of linguistics at the University of Montreal. For more information about Victor and this topic, visit the podcast page indexed at PaulMeier.com/In-A-Manner-Of-Speaking.

Episode 71 (The History of Silent Reading)

Dec 01 2023 34 mins

For the last podcast episode of 2023, Paul talks to Paul Saenger, curator of rare books, emeritus, at Chicago’s Newberry Library, about the history of silent reading and the evolution of inserting (or not inserting) spaces between words. For more information about this podcast, visit the December 2023 podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-ofSpeaking.

Episode 70 (How American English Got Its Start)

Nov 01 2023 38 mins

In this, the 70th episode of Paul Meier's "In a Manner of Speaking" podcast, we learn what Colonial American English might have sounded like. Paul examines this fascinating and understudied topic with Karen Burgos, a freelance linguist, independent researcher, and founder of Ace Linguist. For extra free content on this topic and all of Paul's podcasts, refer to

Episode 69 (Orality and Literacy)

Oct 01 2023 40 mins

For the October 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," Paul Meier discusses the connection between orality and literacy with Professor Brian Ott, an expert in the field of rhetoric and media. They discuss many topics related to rhetoric and the oral tradition throughout human history.

Episode 68 (English Through the Ages)

Sep 01 2023 53 mins

The September 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking" features a trip through time: a conversation between Paul and renowned linguist David Crystal about the history of the English language. David traces the development of English from the Roman occupation of Britain to the spread of Modern English around the world. Visit the podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of

Episode 67 (Harmonic Overtone Chanting)

Aug 01 2023 35 mins

For the August 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," Paul talks to Jill Purce, the doyenne of harmonic overtone chanting, which is often called polyphonic overtone singing, or singing two or more notes at the same time. Paul and Jill discuss all aspects of this unique art. Visit the podcast page for this episode at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking for lots of ex

Episode 66 ("Shakespeare's Magical Keyboard")

Jul 01 2023 25 mins

The July 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking" is all about William Shakespeare. Paul dives deep into the Bard, from iambic pentameter, to scansion, to scoring, to metre, to Original Pronunciation. It's a fun exercise for scholars and professionals but also actors just beginning their Shakespeare journey.