In a Manner of Speaking

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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 d…

Paul Meier


    • May 1, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 39m AVG DURATION
    • 88 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from In a Manner of Speaking

    Episode 88 (AI and the Human Voice)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 54:08


    The May 2025 episode tackles artificial intelligence, or AI. Paul's guests are speech-to-text specialist Michael McAuliffe and dialect coach Tanera Marshall, who worked on "The Brutalist." Paul, Michael, and Tanera, plus co-producer Cameron Meier, discuss AI in the context of human speech in general but especially acting and singing. For free extras and more info, go to the May 2025 podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-A-Manner-Of-Speaking.

    Episode 87 (Rhoticity: Watch Your R's)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 18:19


    For the April 2025 episode, Paul discusses rhoticity, the use of the letter R in speech. For more information, visit the page associated with this podcast episode at PaulMeier.com/In-A-Manner-Of-Speaking.

    Episode 86 (How Playwrights Hear Their Characters' Voices)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2025 45:11


    The March 2025 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking" is the first to feature a playwright. Paul Meier discusses how playwrights hear their characters voices with Pulitzer Price-nominated James Still. 

    Episode 85 (The World of Puppets)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2025 47:30


    Paul's February 2025 podcast episode is his first to focus on the speech of inanimate objects, specifically puppets. But as you will see from this month's guest, accomplished "Sesame Street" puppeteer Spencer Lott, they can be just as animated as any human. Spencer and Paul discuss puppetry and specifically the art of voicing the characters.

    Episode 84 ("Why Animals Talk")

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2025 45:17


    For the January 2025 , Paul and his guest, distinguished Cambridge zoologist Arik Kershenbaum, discuss, in a first for this podcast, the speech of non-humans. Why do animals "talk"? For extra free content, make sure to listen to the podcast at PaulMeier.com.

    Episode 83 (“Just How Boring Are You?” Be a Better Podcast Guest)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2024 44:22


    Renowned singing and voice teachers and authors Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher return to the podcast for December 2024 to discuss Jeremy's new book, "Just How Boring Are You?" which examines how to be a better podcast guest. For more information, visit the page devoted to this episode at PaulMeier.com/In-A-Manner-Of-Speaking.

    Episode 82 (American and British Dialects in Popular Song)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2024 49:27


    Linguist Karen Burgos returns to the podcast for November 2024 to discuss American and British dialects in popular song. She and Paul are joined by podcast co-producer Cameron Meier to examine dialect trends in music from the first decade of the 20th century to today.

    Episode 81 (Voices of the Civil Rights Movement)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2024 49:54


    Actor, director, and voice/dialect coach Jacqueline Springfield returns to the podcast for October 2024 to discuss voices of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Paul and Jacqueline analyze snippets of 11 speeches, from Booker T. Washington in 1895 to President Barack Obama in 2016, looking at dialect, content, and style.

    Episode 80 (Trace That Place)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2024 39:43


    Podcast regular David Crystal is back on "In a Manner of Speaking" to discuss his new website, TraceThatPlace.com, which allows users to explore the story and sound of place names on the road signs and railway stations of Britain." Visit the September 2024 podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking for more information.

    Episode 79 (Come from Away)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2024 39:04


    On the August 2024 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," Paul discusses dialect coaching with IDEA Associate Editor and successful dialect coach Joel Goldes. They focus on two of Goldes' many projects: "Come from Away" and "The Woman King." Visit the August 2024 podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking for more information.

    Episode 78 (Transatlantic and Old Movie Dialects)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2024 72:08


    For the July 2024 podcast, Paul, Barrie Krenik, and Cameron Meier discuss the old Transatlantic dialect of American speech, focusing on its use both in real life and in Hollywood films. For extra free information related to this topic, visit the podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking/

    Episode 77 (A Unique Path to Film and TV Success)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2024 45:07


    For the June 2023 podcast, Paul welcomes celebrated Danish-American actor Lukas Hassel, who has forged a unique path to success in film and television. Joined by podcast co-producer Cameron Meier, they discuss Lukas's career and the challenges of performing in a second language. For more info about Lukas and extra free content, visit the podcast page indexed at https://www.paulmeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking/.

    Episode 76 (African-American English)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 38:36


    The May 2024 episode focuses on African-American English, which Paul discusses with American Dialect Society President Patricia Cukor-Avila. Paul and Patricia principally listen to and analyze historic Black dialects in the United States, from Colonial days to the early 20th century.

    Episode 75 (Loudmouths and the Sound of Silence)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2024 25:37


    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)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2024 39:20


    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/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking.

    Episode 73 (The American Dialect Society)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2024 47:49


    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)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2024 41:01


    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)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2023 34:57


    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)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 38:18


    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 the main podcast page at PaulMeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking.

    Episode 69 (Orality and Literacy)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2023 40:45


    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)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2023 53:25


    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-Speaking for extra free content.

    Episode 67 (Harmonic Overtone Chanting)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2023 35:54


    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 extra free content.

    Episode 66 ("Shakespeare's Magical Keyboard")

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2023 25:44


    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.

    Episode 65 ("Namecoach")

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 36:07


    For the June 2023 podcast, Paul interviews Namecoach founder and CEO Praveen Shanbhag. They discuss name pronunciation in general while talking about Namecoach itself, which allows people to record their own name and embed that recording in their e-mail or social-media account.

    Episode 64 ('What's in a Name?')

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2023 45:22


    For the May 2023 episode, Paul and his guest, former BBC Pronunciation Adviser Graham Pointon, attempt to answer the popular question "What's in a Name?" They discuss how one decides on proper pronunciations of people and place names.

    Episode 63 (The Oxford English Dictionary)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2023 40:21


    Welcome to the April 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking." This month's guest is Dr. Catherine Sangster, executive editor of pronunciations at Oxford Languages. She has been in charge of the Oxford English Dictionary's pronunciations for 11 years.

    Episode 62 (Fast-Talkin' Dudes)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2023 26:08


    For the March 2023 episode, Paul takes an in-depth look at speed talking and singing. He examines world records and introduces us to people who are called upon to talk or sing quickly -- from actors to auctioneers to debaters to people who simply enjoy speaking at high speeds. For the full clips excerpted in this episode, plus more free content, visit the episode 62 podcast page at https://www.paulmeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking/.

    Episode 61 (Irish: A Language in Danger)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2023 18:02


    The Irish language is the podcast topic for February 2023, and Paul's guest is Professor Malachy O'Neill, Irish language scholar and director of Regional Engagement at Ulster University. Paul and Malachy discuss all aspects of the Irish language, including its history, dialects and status as an endangered language. For more information about Professor O'Neill, plus free content related to this topic, visit https://www.paulmeier.com/2023/02/01/episode-61-irish-a-language-in-danger/.

    Episode 60 (Whistled Speech)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2023 35:53


    For the first podcast of 2023, Paul discusses whistled speech with Julien Meyer, linguist, acoustician, and professor at the European Institutes for Advanced Study at the University of Lyon, France. For more information and free content related to this topic, visit the podcast page at PaulMeier.com.

    Episode 59 (Exploring Roy Hart's Legacy)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2022 46:28


    Welcome to the December 2022 podcast, in which Paul and his guests, Enrique Pardo and Linda Wise of Pantheatre, discuss the legacy of the intriguing and often controversial actor and vocalist Roy Hart (1926-1975). Pardo and Wise have spent decades building on the legacy of Hart, who is known for his almost superhuman vocal range, avant-garde performances, and work with German singing teacher Alfred Wolfsohn. Visit PaulMeier.com/2022/12/01/Episode-59-Exploring-Roy-Harts-Legacy for more information on Hart, Pardo, and Wise.

    Episode 58 (Shakespeare's Rhetoric)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2022 51:52


    For the November 2022 episode, Paul welcomes Gideon Burton, professor in the English Department at Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City, Utah, and creator of the website "Silva Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric." Paul and Gideon discuss Shakespeare's use of rhetoric, in addition to rhetoric in general, which is often defined as the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing. For more information on Gideon and this topic (and for all of Paul's previous podcasts), visit https://www.paulmeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking/.

    Episode 57 (How We Learn to Talk)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2022 35:32


    How do babies learn to talk? That's the topic of the October 2022 episode of Paul's podcast. And to help answer that question, Paul welcomes Jenny Saffran, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert in cognitive and linguistic sciences. For more info (and complementary content) on the topics discussed in this and all of Paul's podcasts, visit PaulMeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking.

    Episode 56 (Sounds Appealing)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2022 50:11


    For the September 2022 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," Paul welcomes back renowned linguist and author David Crystal for his fourth appearance on the podcast. They discuss various topics related to David's 2018 book, "Sounds Appealing," including pronunciation, phonetics, phoneticians, speech melody, intonation, stress patterning. For information on David, visit his website, DavidCrystal.com. And for more info (and lots of complementary content) on the topics discussed in this and all of Paul's podcasts, please visit the main podcast page at PaulMeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking.

    Episode 55 (Language Versus Reality)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2022 66:49


    Paul's guest for August 2022 is Nick Enfield, professor of linguistics at the University of Sydney. Inspired by Nick's 2022 book, "Language Vs. Reality: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists," Paul and Nick discuss how language is not always the best tool for conveying and representing reality. For more information on Professor Enfield, visit NickEnfield.org. And for more information (and lots of complementary content) on the topics discussed in this and all of Paul's podcasts, please visit the main podcast page at PaulMeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking.

    Episode 54 (The Woman's Voice)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2022 43:00


    Patsy Rodenburg -- often considered the world's leading voice teacher and coach -- is Paul Meier's guest for the July 2022 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking." Paul and Patsy discuss a range of topics related to Patsy's forthcoming book, "The Woman's Voice." For more information about Professor Rodenburg, OBE, please visit the web page on PaulMeier.com devoted to this podcast, or https://patsyrodenburg.co.uk/.

    Episode 53 (The Bard of Bath)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2022 40:24


    For the June 2022 edition of his "In a Manner of Speaking" podcast, Paul Meier welcomes the "Bard of Bath," Kevan Manwaring. The two discuss the ancient Bardic Tradition and how it is still relevant and powerful today. For more information on Kevan and the Bardic Tradition, visit PaulMeier.com/2022/06/01/episode-53-the-bard-of-bath/.

    Episode 52 (How To Do Accents)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2022 46:55


    Paul's guests for May 2022 are Edda Sharpe and Jan Haydn Rowles, authors of "How To Do Accents" and leading figures in the world of voice, speech, and dialects. The three discuss dialects in the English National Opera revival of "My Fair Lady" (coached by Edda) and the film "Belfast" (coached by Jan). They also engage in a larger discussion of dialects and accents, including the ones featured in those productions: Received Pronunciation (RP), Northern Irish, and Cockney.

    Episode 51 (Celebrating the First 50)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 17:01


    The April 2022 episode is a celebration of the first 50 episodes of "In a Manner of Speaking," the podcast Paul began in February 2018. Reminisce with Paul about some of his favorite episodes and join him in thanking all his guests -- and YOU for listening. And, as always, visit the main podcast page (https://www.paulmeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking/) for more info. (Bach's Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)

    Episode 50 (The Power of Voice)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2022 38:17


    Paul's guest for March 2022 is Denise Woods, a successful Hollywood dialect coach, theatre professor at the California Institute of the Arts, and author of "The Power of Voice." The two discuss topics related to dialect coaching, including audiobook narration, accent modification or "reduction," and coaching Black actors.

    Episode 49 (You Are What You Speak)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2022 41:19


    Paul's guest for February 2022 is Lane Greene, language columnist and Spain correspondent for "The Economist." This month's episode takes its title from one of Lane's books, "You Are What You Speak," and Paul and Lane tackle a variety of topics related to linguistics, accents, and the myths, fears, and hopes surrounding language. For more information on Lane, visit LaneGreene.com.

    Episode 48 (Pitch)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2022 53:09


    Paul's first 2022 guests are Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher of “Vocal Process." The three discuss pitch, specifically the extremes of the human voice as it relates to both speaking and singing. For more information, including biographies of Gillyanne and Jeremy, and links to the full recordings excerpted here, visit the page devoted to this month's podcast on PaulMeier.com.

    Episode 47 (Teaching Dialects and Grammar)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2021 39:54


    Paul's final guest for 2021 is Willem Hollmann, who has been generating headlines with his thoughts on how we teach grammar and dialects. A professor of linguistics and associate dean in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at Lancaster University in England, Hollmann encourages a more robust discussion of regional English dialects and grammar in English education. But his views have also been distorted by the media, so in this month's podcast, Paul and Willem set the record straight. All dialects are equal, but are some more equal than others? Find out by listening to the December podcast. To learn more about Paul's guest, visit https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/linguistics/about/people/willem-hollmann.

    Episode 46 (Highly Irregular)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2021 36:12


    For the November 2021 podcast, Paul discusses the peculiarities of the English language with Arika Okrent, linguist and author of "Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme." For more information on Arika, visit ArikaOkrent.com.

    Episode 45 (Read Me a Story)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2021 58:10


    Paul's guest for October 2021 is professional audiobook narrator Elizabeth Wiley. The two talk about everything related to the art of audiobook narration and read from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Andromeda Romano-Lax's "Annie and the Wolves," which is available at Audible.com. For more on Elizabeth, visit WileyVoice.com.

    Episode 44 (Let's Talk)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2021 54:09


    For the September episode of the podcast, Paul and his guest, legendary linguist David Crystal, converse about ... conversation itself.

    Episode 43 (Heightened Language and Black Playwrights)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2021 42:26


    For the August 2021 podcast, Paul discusses heightened language and Black playwrights with Professor Jacqueline Springfield of Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn about Professor Springfield, please visit www.JacquelineSpringfield.com.

    Episode 42 (Law Talk)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2021 33:06


    Paul's guest for the July 2021 podcast is Professor Pamela Keller of the School of Law at the University of Kansas, where she teaches what she calls "lawyering skills." Appropriately, the topic of conversation is the spoken word as it relates to the law and, specifically, courtroom procedures and presentations. To learn more about Professor Keller, visit https://law.ku.edu/faculty/pamela-keller.

    Episode 41 (Glossolalia)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2021 46:33


    The topic for the June podcast is glossolalia, which this month's guest, phonologist Paul de Lacy, defines as "spontaneous, sustained speech that doesn't convey complex meaning." Often described as "speaking in tongues," this has been the subject of de Lacy's research since the mid-1990s. For more information on de Lacy, visit visit https://www.pauldelacy.net. And please see the full page devoted to this podcast at PaulMeier.com for more information, including the links to the YouTube clips excerpted for this podcast.

    Episode 40 (Reading to Children, with Mem Fox)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2021 36:00


    For the May 2021 podcast, Paul discusses reading to children with Mem Fox, Australia's bestselling writer and author of more than 40 books, including "Possum Magic" and "Time for Bed." For more about Mem, visit https://memfox.com/about/.

    Episode 39 (Speech and Voice Disorders)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2021 39:54


    For the April 2021 podcast, Paul discusses speech and voice disorders with Joanna Cazden, a speech pathologist specializing in voice rehabilitation for actors and singers, and an advocate for preventive vocal health education. For more information on Joanna, visit www.joannacazden.com and check out the Voice and Speech Disorders collection on IDEA (www.dialectsarchive.com/speech-and-voice-disorders), which she founded.

    voice idea speech voice disorders
    Episode 38 (The Curious Affair of the Glottal Stop and the Schwa)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2021 25:37


    For the March episode, Paul discusses the phonetic phenomena known as the glottal stop and the schwa. The glottal stop is that little explosion you feel in your throat when you say phrases such as  "uh-huh," "huh-uh," and "uh-oh," while the schwa is the most common vowel in the English language that is not formally a vowel. Instead, it's a vowel substitute that sounds like "uh."

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