In a Manner of Speaking: Recent Episodes
Paul Meier
Jacqueline SpringfieldActor, 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, ranging in time from Booker T. Washington in 1895 to President Barack Obama in 2017, looking at dialect, content, and style. It’s a remarkable journey through not just pronunciation but American history.
Jacqueline previously appeared on episode 43 of the podcast, from August 2021, to discuss heightened language and Black playwrights. She serves as assistant professor of acting and co-coordinator of the acting concentration in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University. Her dialect coaching credits include: the Alliance Theatre, True Colors Theatre, American Players Theatre, Synchronicity Theatre, Actors Express, the Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (NY), and the Black Arts Institute at Stella Adler.
Jacqueline holds a master of fine arts degree in acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and is a certified associate instructor of Fitzmaurice Voicework and an IDEA associate editor for the Southern United States. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, and continues to work as a performer in film, television, theatre, and voiceover.
The podcast features short, fair-use snippets of 11 speeches, in chronological order. You will find the speeches in their entirety below:
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Booker T. Washington
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E.B. DuBois
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Mamie Till Mobley
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Martin Luther King
Interview is copyright 60 Minutes/CBS News.
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Fannie Lou Hamer
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Malcolm X
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Stokely Carmichael
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Shirley Chisholm
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Jesse Jackson
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Al Sharpton
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Barack Obama
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 81 (Voices of the Civil Rights Movement) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
David CrystalPodcast favorite David Crystal returns to In a Manner of Speaking for the September 2024 episode. The legendary linguist is back to discuss his new website, TraceThatPlace.com, which allows users to enter a British place name and learn all about its origin and history.
Billed as the site that allows you to explore “the story and sound of place names on the road signs and railway stations of Britain,” TraceThatPlace took David about three years to create. On this month’s podcast, he and Paul discuss not just the site but the fascinating history and evolution of place names.
This is David’s sixth appearance on the podcast. His prior appearances:
June 2018 (Episode 5): Pragmatics
November 2019 (Episode 22): Received Pronunciation (RP)
September 2021 (Episode 44): Let’s Talk
September 2022 (Episode 56): Sounds Appealing
September 2023 (Episode 68): English Through the Ages
For more information about David, visit DavidCrystal.com and ShakespearesWords.com. And visit his YouTube channel.
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 80 (Trace That Place) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Joel GoldesOn 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, an award-winning musical set in Newfoundland, about the hospitality that Newfoundlanders afforded airline passengers stranded by the terror attacks of September 11, 2001; and The Woman King, a 2022 epic film directed by Gina Prince-Bythwood and starring Viola Davis.
To learn about Joel, visit his IDEA page, or check out TheDialectCoach.com.
For more information on Come from Away, visit Apple.TV.com, and to learn more about The Woman King, visit Wikipedia. and IMDB.
And for prior podcast episodes that address similar topics, see
May 2022 (Episode 52): How To Do Accents, with Edda Sharpe and Jan Haydn Rowles
August 2021 (Episode 43): Heightened Language and Black Playwrights, with Jacqueline Springfield
August 2020 (Episode 31): Foreign-Language Accents
January 2020 (Episode 24): Dialect-Coaching Film & TV, with Jill McCullough
October 2018 (Episode 9): Accents and Dialects, with Jim Johnson
Joel visits the Anthony Gilardo Acting Studio:
BUZZCast interview:
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 79 (Come from Away) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Barrie KreinikCinephiles and time-travel enthusiasts are in for a treat with the July 2024 podcast, as the topic is the American dialect known as Transatlantic, Mid-Atlantic, American Stage Speech, or Upper-class American. Paul’s guests are Barrie Kreinik (dialect coach, IDEA associate editor, actor, singer, writer, and audiobook narrator) and podcast co-producer Cameron Meier (film critic and historian, and executive editor of IDEA).
Barrie has a unique take on the dialect, as she has just released The Queen of Fourteenth Street, an audiobook celebrating the life of actress Eva Le Gallienne, who spoke in a dialect similar to Transatlantic. And Cameron’s movie background adds another dimension to the conversation, as the three discuss the accent in the context of older Hollywood movies.
Barrie’s theatre credits include The Dead, 1904 (Irish Rep), When I Was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout (Fallen Angel Theatre), 39 Steps (Union Square Theatre), Fiddler on the Roof (Goodspeed Musicals), and The How and the Why (Trinity Rep). As a singer and songwriter, she has performed at Birdland, 54 Below, The Bitter End, and the Laurie Beechman Theatre. A recipient of two Audie Awards and ten Earphones Awards, she has narrated over 200 audiobooks, including numerous national bestsellers and one of The New York Times Best Audiobooks of 2022. She specializes in accents and dialects, particularly those of the British Isles, and has been a freelance dialect coach for nearly two decades.
Eva Le GallienneBarrie’s original audio drama, The Queen of Fourteenth Street, was released by Hachette Audio in June 2024. As a playwright, she’s been a semifinalist in the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, the Ashland New Plays Festival, and the Garry Marshall Theatre New Works Festival, and her plays have been workshopped at Trinity Rep and the Bechdel Project. She has also written and performed in two solo shows, a short film, and an episode of the web series Love in NY. Her essays have been published by LitHub, Months to Years, and Theaterhound, and she writes a creative nonfiction blog called Points of View.
A native of Hartford, Connecticut, and longtime resident of New York City, Barrie holds an MFA in Acting from Brown/Trinity Rep and a BA in Theatre and English from Cornell. Find out more at BarrieKreinik.com, on Instagram (@barriebarriepix), and on her IDEA editor page.
Cameron MeierTo learn more about Cameron, visit MeierMovies.com or his editor page on IDEA.
Snippets of most of the clips below were featured on this month’s podcast under the copyright doctrine of fair use. They are presented here in more complete form for your enjoyment and research. We also suggest listening to Mo Rocca’s “Death of an Accent” episode from his Mobituaries podcast, on Apple podcasts.
Eva Le Gallienne interview with Dick Cavett, 1977:
William F. Buckley on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson:
Singin’ in the Rain, 1952:
Bringing Up Baby, 1938:
Now, Voyager, 1942:
The Third Man, 1949:
Bette Davis interview with Dick Cavett, 1970s:
Eleanor Roosevelt speech on human rights, 1951:
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, 1963:
Eva Le Gallienne, in Resurrection, 1980:
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 78 (Transatlantic and Old Movie Dialects) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Lukas HasselWelcome to the June 2023 episode of Paul Meier’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast. This month’s guest is celebrated Danish-American actor, writer, and director Lukas Hassel, who has forged a unique path to success in film and television.
Paul and Lukas are joined by film critic and co-producer of this podcast, Cameron Meier. The three discuss Lukas’s career, life on the film festival circuit, and the challenges of acting in a second language. Accent modification or “reduction” is central to this discussion.
Currently living in New York City, Lukas was born and raised in Denmark. He studied acting at the Samuel Beckett Theatre School, Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland. He is perhaps best known to American audiences for his recurring role on The Blacklist, on NBC, as Elias VanDyke in seasons eight and nine. Lukas has also appeared on Blue Bloods, Elementary, Law and Order and other shows, and in feature films such as The Black Room, Slapface, The 7th Secret, and Art of the Dead. Early in his career, he was known to Norwegian audiences as Mr. Melk, the popular spokes character for Norwegian Milk.
As a writer, he has won the ScreenCraft and CineStory fellowships and many more writing competitions with his screenplays across genres such as horror, sci-fi, drama, and psychological thriller. As a director, Lukas created the award-winning short films Into the Dark (a sci-fi movie being developed into a feature) and the psychological horror The Son, the Father…., both of which screened in hundreds of film festivals around the world. He just wrapped filming on his feature screenplay, the psychological thriller House of Abraham, starring opposite Natasha Henstridge and Lin Shaye.
For more information on Lukas, visit LukasHassel.com and watch the clips below:
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 77 (A Unique Path to Film and TV Success) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Patricia Cukor-AvilaThe topic of the May 2024 podcast is 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. Gullah is discussed in depth.
Recordings come from Patricia’s own research, done over several decades in a small Texas town (nicknamed “Springville”), plus IDEA, YouTube, and the Library of Congress’s Voices Remembering Slavery.
In addition to her role with the American Dialect Society, Patricia Cukor-Avila is professor of linguistics at the University of North Texas. Her primary research focuses on the study of linguistic change and variation, specifically grammatical change over time in African-American English. Her longitudinal study (1988-present), with Dr. Guy Bailey, of a rural Texas community has provided much of the data for presentations and articles concerning approaches to sociolinguistic fieldwork, transmission and diffusion, and language change over the lifespan, as well as documenting innovations in African-American English. This research was included in the 2004 PBS documentary by Robert McNeil Do You Speak American?
She is one of the associate producers of the award-winning documentary series Talking Black in America and was interviewed in the 2017 documentary Talking Black in America and the 2022 documentary Talking Black in America: Roots in that series. She is co-editor (with Guy Bailey and Natalie Maynor) of The Emergence of Black English: Text and Commentary (1991) and author of several articles and book chapters, most recently a co-author (with Guy Bailey and Juan Salinas) of a monograph Inheritance and Innovation in the Evolution of Rural African American English in the Cambridge Elements World Englishes series.
To learn more about Patricia, visit UNT’s website. For more information on the American Dialect Society, visit their website.
To listen to the full sound clip of Wallace Quarterman, referenced in this podcast, click or tap the triangle-shaped play button below. And go here for a transcript.
https://www.paulmeier.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Wallce-Quarterman-clip.mp3To listen to the complete audio clip of IDEA’s South Carolina 12, go here.
Listen to the entire recording of Booker T. Washington that Paul and Patricia discuss:
Other podcast episodes referenced in this episode, or those with similar themes, include:
March 2024 (Episode 74): Folk Linguistics, with Dennis Preston
February 2024 (Episode 73): The American Dialect Society, with Betsy Evans
August 2021 (Episode 43): Heightened Language and Black Playwrights, with Jacqueline Springfield
December 2020 (Episode 35): The First Sound Recordings, with Patrick Feaster
August 2019 (Episode 19): Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), with Joan Hall
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 76 (African-American English) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
For the April 2024 podcast, Paul explores loudness, or the lack thereof. Just as he examined extremes of the human voice’s pitch and speed in past episodes, this month Paul discusses the extremes of volume, specifically looking at world records for loudness while reflecting on the rarity of true silence.
You’ll learn what Guinness World Records considers the loudest human sounds while contemplating the infrequency of quietness. Past podcasts referenced in this episode include episode 34, It’s All Greek To Me, with Rush Rehm; episode 48, Pitch, with Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher; episode 57, How We Learn to Talk, with Jenny Saffran; episode 59, Exploring Roy Hart’s Legacy, with Enrique Pardo and Linda Wise; and episode 62, Fast-Talkin’ Dudes.
Check out the following clips and articles for more information on this month’s topic:
TikTok video on the loudest scream
Guinness World Records article on the loudest scream
Audiology article on the eruption of Krakatoa
Volume image (iStock-174789753) courtesy of SKrow.
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 75 (Loudmouths and the Sound of Silence) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Dennis PrestonWelcome 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.
Often defined as the study or examination of language from a non-professional, non-academic, or uninformed perspective, folk linguistics can yield fascinating insights into how the average person perceives language, dialects, and accents. Paul and Dennis discuss this topic in detail, including the truths, misconceptions, and fallacies related to our understanding of the spoken word and regional speech.
Dennis Preston is an adjunct professor of linguistics at the University of Kentucky; regents professor emeritus at Oklahoma State University, where he was director of research on the dialects of English in Oklahoma and co-director of the Center for Oklahoma Studies; and distinguished professor emeritus at Michigan State University. He has been a visiting scholar at Osaka Shoin Women’s College and the universities of Canterbury (New Zealand), Hawaii, Arizona, Michigan, Copenhagen, Colorado, Indiana University Southeast, SUNY Oswego, Berkeley, Chicago, Kentucky, UC Davis, and UMass Amherst. He was Fulbright researcher in Poland and Brazil.
Dennis was director of the 2003 Linguistic Society of America Institute and president of the American Dialect Society, and has served on the executive boards of those societies and others, as well as the editorial boards of numerous journals and panels of granting agencies. He is a member of the advisory committees of several international research projects and is invited frequently for presentations in both academic and popular venues.
Professor Preston’s work focuses on sociolinguistics and dialectology, including four recent NSF grants, two in folk linguistics and two in language variation and change. His most recent book-length publications are Folk Linguistics (2000) with Nancy Niedzielski, A Handbook of Perceptual Dialectology, Volume II (2002) with Daniel Long, Needed Research in American Dialects (2003), Linguistic Diversity in Michigan and Ohio (2005) with Brian Joseph and Carol G. Preston, Variation in Indigenous Languages (2009) with James Stanford, A Reader in Sociophonetics (2010) with Nancy Niedzielski, Responses to Language Varieties (2015) with Alexei Prikhodkine, and Changing Perceptions of Southernness (American Speech 93:3&4, Fall-Winter 2018) with Jennifer Cramer.
He is an Erskine Fellow of the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and a fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Linguistic Society of America, and he was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Polish Republic in 2004.
For a fascinating collection of Dennis Preston’s interviews, go here. And visit OKState.edu.
More with Professor Preston:
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 74 (Folk Linguistics) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Betsy EvansThe 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 and associate professor of linguistics at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Paul and Betsy discuss the history and mission of the ADS and explore the latest trends in accents, dialects, and vocabulary of the United States.
Betsy’s research concentrates on perceptual dialectology and draws heavily on perceptions and attitudes to language variation with an aim to explore how language variation relates to the function of language in marking identity, status, group solidarity, and cultural values. She is also director of the Folk Linguistics Online Mapping (FLOM) project, which works on developing a free, open-source, online tool for conducting perceptual dialect research. She is a co-founder of the Linguistic Bias Working group at the University of Washington and the executive director of the American Dialect Society.
For more information on the American Dialect Society, visit AmericanDialect.org.
Check out the videos below for further discussions of topics related to this podcast:
For further discussion of Amy Stoller’s question about “milk/melk,” visit A Way with Words.
Betsy Evans’ selected research:
Evans, Betsy, PI. Seattle to Spokane: Mapping English in Washington State.
Evans, B. E., Benson, E. J., & Stanford, J. (Eds.). (2018) Language Regard: Methods, Variation and Change. Cambridge University Press.
Fridland, Beckford Wassink, Kendall & Evans (eds.). (2017) Speech in the Western States, Volume 2. Publication of the American Dialect Society (PADS) 77:1.
Fridland, V., Kendall, T., Evans, B., & Wassink, A. B. (2016) Speech of the Western States. Vol. 1, The Coastal States. Publication of the American Dialect Society, 101.
Mooney, Annabelle & Evans, Betsy. Language, Society & Power. 6th edition. London: Routledge.
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 73 (The American Dialect Society) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Victor BoucherPaul 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.
Piggybacking on last last month’s episode, which discussed spaces between words, Victor and Paul focus on the definition of a word and how words are viewed, written, and spoken in various languages.
Victor is a senior professor of speech science at the Université de Montréal. The focus of his research has been the sensorimotor systems that underlie speech processing, with applications extending to the processing of voices, chunking, speech breathing, and verbal memory. This work has led him to examine the writing bias in the study of spoken language and its processing in terms of units that reflect constraints on sensorimotor systems rather than conceptual linguistic units that link to writing such as phonemes, words, and sentences.
A complete list of his scholarly works is to be found at Google Scholar link.
To learn more about Inuktitut, watch the following video:
Also see Wikipedia for a more in-depth discussion of Inuktitut.
For the study on the memory benefits of repeating text while talking to someone, Professor Boucher discusses the findings on pages 214-216 of the 2021 article The Study of Speech Processes, Addressing the Writing Bias in Language Science. Cambridge University Press, UK.
Further References
Terrace, H. S. (2001). Chunking and serially organized behavior in pigeons, monkeys, and humans. In R. G. Cook (Ed.), Avian visual cognition. Retrieved from https://pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/avc/terrace/default.htm.
Boucher, V. J., Gilbert, A. C., & Jemel, B. (2019). The role of low-frequency neural oscillations in speech processing: Revisiting delta entrainment. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 31, 1205-1215. doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01410.
Lowe, R. (1981). Analyse Linguistique et Ethnocentrisme. Essai sur la Structure du Mot en Inuktitut. Ottawa, ON: Musée National de l’Homme.
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 72 (The Word: an Illusive Concept) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Paul SeangerFor the last episode of 2023, Paul talks to Paul Saenger, curator of rare books, emeritus, at Chicago’s Newberry Library, about the history of silent reading (versus reading aloud) and the evolution of inserting (or not inserting) spaces between words.
They discuss the physiological processes required for decoding a written text written without spaces between words and how that practice influenced the long tradition of reading aloud.
From 1985 to 2013, Paul Saenger directed collection development at the Newberry Library in Chicago. His publications include Space Between Words: The Origins of Silent Reading (Stanford University Press, 1997) and A Catalogue of Pre-1500 Western Manuscript Books at the Newberry Library (1989). He is also the author of numerous articles, including recently “Comment Lire est Devenu un Jeu d’Enfant,” L’Histoire (no. 454, 2018), “Orality and Visible Language” in The Oxford Handbook of Latin Palaeography (2020), “Des Blancs Entre les Mots,” Écriture et image (December 2021), and “Augustine as Reader: Prospects for Collaboration Between Palaeography and the Neurosciences” in Textual Communities, Textual Selves: Essays in Dialogue with Brian Stock (2023). His monograph-length essay, The Fifth-Century Patristic Page: The Implications of Space, Symbols, Numeration and Color for the History of Reading was in press at the time of the recording of this podcast.
Other recent articles include “Henri-Jean Martin and the Birth of the History of Reading: a Memoir,” in Histoire et Civilisation du Livre, 16 (2020); “The Twelfth Century Reception of Oriental Languages and the Graphic Mise en Page of Latin Vulgate Bibles in England” in Eyal Poleg’s and Laura Light’s collective volume, Form and Function of Latin Vulgate Bibles in the Late Medieval Bible (London, 2015), and “Jewish Liturgical Divisions of the Torah and English Chapter Divisions of the Vulgate,” in Pesher Nahum, Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature Presented to Norman Golb (Chicago, 2012).
EXERCISE
The following approximates, in English, what ancient Roman readers would have experienced when opening a familiar codex (of Livy, for example) written in scriptura continua (continuous script with no spaces or punctuation). What is the experience like for you? Do you find yourself reading it aloud? Perhaps sounding it out in your head? Do you notice your lips moving sometimes? Are you longing for spaces between words? Do you welcome the freedom to phrase this as you wish?
totheSupremeJudgeoftheworldfortherectitudeofourintentionsdointheNameandbyAuthorityofthegoodPeopleoftheseColoniessolemnlypublishanddeclareThattheseUnitedColoniesareandofRightoughttobeFreeandIndependentStatesthattheyareAbsolvedfromallAllegiancetotheBritishCrownandthatallpoliticalconnectionbetweenthemandtheStateofGreatBritainisandoughttobetotallydissolvedandthatasFreeandIndependentStatestheyhavefullPowertolevyWarconcludePeacecontractAlliancesestablishCommerceandtodoallotherActsandThingswhichIndependentStatesmayofrightdoAndforthesupportofthisDeclarationwithafirmrelianceontheprotectionofdivineProvidencewemutuallypledgetoeachotherourLivesourFortunesandoursacredHonor
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 71 (The History of Silent Reading) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Karen BurgosIn this, the 70th episode of Paul’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, a truly valuable blog.
Karen’s articles on “Indie Girl Voice,” “Colonial American English,” and “The PIN-PEN merger” have educated many netizens on the English sound changes of yesterday, today, and maybe even tomorrow. Her focus on historical linguistics, language in popular media, and sociolinguistics makes for insightful commentary on all matter of variation in the English language.
To read her complete Dialect Dissection: Founding Fathers blog, click here.
The original Broadway cast recording of “My Shot,” from Hamilton:
The original Broadway cast recording of “Is Anybody There?” from 1776:
And here is a clip from John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti. (Catherine Charlton dialect-coached the mini-series with attention to historical accuracy.):
For a free download of Paul’s The Original Pronunciation (OP) of Shakespeare’s English, which predates the dialects discussed here by about 100 years but is still present in many of the sounds, click here. And don’t forget to listen to the September 2023 episode of In a Manner of Speaking, with David Crystal, which is a nice companion to this month’s episode.
Lastly, Paul mentions a holiday discount on his Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition and a free recording of his audiobook reading of A Christmas Carol. Those are available from November 20, 2023 through January 5, 2024.
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 70 (How American English Got Its Start) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Brian OttFor 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. Paul and Brian discuss many topics related to rhetoric and the oral tradition throughout human history.
Professor Ott, who holds a Ph.D from the Pennsylvania State University, is professor of communication and media at Missouri State University. He has been studying rhetoric and media and their intersection for more than 25 years.
Brian has authored numerous books and essays on the changing nature of communication in the digital era, and he has been interviewed by the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Politico, among others. His op-eds have appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Salon, Business Insider, and The Hill. He is the former director of Texas Tech University Press, a former editor-in-chief of the Western Journal of Communication, and a former president of the Western States Communication Association.
For more information on Brian, visit Wikipedia and Missouri State University’s website. And for a PDF list of Professor Ott’s media interviews, go here.
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 69 (Orality and Literacy) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
David CrystalThe September 2023 episode of In a Manner of Speaking features a trip through time: a conversation between Paul and distinguished 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.
Highlights include a discussion of Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English (and Original Pronunciation), along with a brief look at the contributions of the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and French.
David (a native of Liverpool, England, and North Wales) has authored more than 100 books in the field of language, including several Penguin books, but is perhaps best known for his two encyclopedias for Cambridge University Press, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language and The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. His books on English phonetics and phonology include Prosodic Systems and Intonation in English and The English Tone of Voice.
He was founder-editor of the Journal of Child Language (1973-85), Child Language Teaching and Therapy (1985-96), and Linguistics Abstracts (1985-96), and associate editor of the Journal of Linguistics (1970-73). In addition, he has been a consultant, contributor, or presenter on several radio and television programs and series. David is currently patron of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) and the Association for Language Learning (ALL); president of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, the UK National Literacy Association, and the Johnson Society of London; and an honorary vice president of the Institute of Linguists and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
David is also a renowned Shakespeare and Original Pronunciation (OP) scholar. For more on his work with the Bard, visit ShakespearesWords.com.
For a full biography and more information on David, visit his website, DavidCrystal.com. Go here for a list of all of David’s published works.
Further links to David’s books:
Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation
Shakespeare’s Words
Everyday Shakespeare: Lines for Life (co-authored with Ben Crystal)
Shakespeare’s Original Pronunciation website
A Date with Language
YouTube videos on the history of English:
This is David’s fifth appearance on the podcast. He appeared previously in episodes 5 in June 2018 (Pragmatics), 22 in November 2019 (Received Pronunciation), 44 in September 2021 (“Let’s Talk), and 56 in September 2022 (“Sounds Appealing”).
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 68 (English Through the Ages) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
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.
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.
Praveen ShanbhagAfter asking the Shakespearean question “What’s in a name?” on the May 2023 In a Manner of Speaking podcast, Paul takes that topic a step further for the June episode by interviewing Praveen Shanbhag, the founder and CEO of Namecoach.
Namecoach allows you to create a “namebadge” that you can add to your e-mail signature or social-media account, or wherever you want. The badge contains a sound file of you pronouncing your own name. Paul and Praveen discuss Namecoach and other topics related to name pronunciation.
After hearing his sister’s name mispronounced at her college graduation, Praveen says he was compelled to create the initial Namecoach product while finishing his Ph.D. at Stanford. Prior to building Namecoach, he pursued studies in biochemistry, physics, history, and philosophy, and holds degrees from Harvard (B.A.), Columbia (M.A.), Cambridge (MPhil), and Stanford (Ph.D).
For more information, visit Name-coach.com. To record your own “namebadge,” go here.
For Namecoach’s social media, visit Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram.
And watch Praveen’s appearance on Alan Headbloom’s Feel Like You Belong:
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 65 (“Namecoach”) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Graham PointonFor the May 2023 episode of In a Manner of Speaking, Paul and his guest, Graham Pointon, attempt to answer the popular question “What’s in a Name?” Specifically, they discuss how one decides on pronunciations of people and place names, and the issues surrounding “proper” pronunciation of words in general.
Graham is the former pronunciation adviser for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). After studying French and linguistics for an MA (Hons), receiving the diploma in phonetics at Edinburgh University, and spending a year on a Spanish-government scholarship at Madrid’s Complutense University, Graham spent six years as a lecturer in English phonetics at Trondheim University in Norway. He also completed his MLitt for Edinburgh on the rhythm of spoken Spanish.
He then moved back to the United Kingdom to take up the post of pronunciation adviser at the BBC, where he stayed until the end of 2001. Since leaving the BBC, he has co-authored three books on English usage with a former colleague in Norway, Stewart Clark, and writes an occasional blog: Linguism.
For more information on the BBC Pronunciation Unit, go here. For more on Paul Auster’s novel, 4-3-2-1, see Wikipedia.
And learn how to pronounce one of the world’s longest place names:
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 64 (‘What’s in a Name?’) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Catherine SangsterWelcome 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.
Paul and Catherine discuss not just the dictionary and the purpose and origins of the dictionary but many other topics related to pronunciation.
Before moving into lexicography, Dr. Sangster headed the BBC Pronunciation Unit and completed a D.Phil. in sociophonetics. Catherine’s linguistic research interests include accents and dialects, Germanic languages, the phonology of conlangs, language and gender/sexuality, and Latin and its Anglicization.
For the OED’s pronunciation models and transcription keys for World Englishes, visit https://public.oed.com/how-to-use-the-oed/key-to-pronunciation/.
For the recent press release discussing the decision to add Indian-English pronunciations to the dictionary, click here.
For more information about the OED, go to OED.com. And for more about Catherine, click here.
The post Episode 63 (The Oxford English Dictionary) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
For the March 2023 episode of the podcast, Paul takes an in-depth look at the world of speed talking and speed singing. He examines the world records and introduces us to the wide variety of 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.
Here is the original text that Paul and Cameron use in their speed test:
“So this old guy comes up to me and wants me to tell him how fast I can talk. I told him I didn’t know but like why did he want to know such a thing. He said he’d heard of a man who could speak four times as fast as the norm. So I said to him let’s put it to the test and I told him I’d write him a short speech that we could use to test our own speeds and this is it. So if you want to see how close you can get to the top speeds I spoke of just use this brief text. Can you do it fast and still make it clear and not make it sound like a speed test?”
For the lyrics to “The Major-General’s Song” or “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General,” plus the lyrics to Tom Lehrer’s parody, “The Elements Song,” go here.
This episode includes many fair-use snippets of longer video and audio clips. Many of those clips are available in their entirety below.
And to hear cattle auctioneer John Korrey, go directly to YouTube.
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 62 (Fast-Talkin’ Dudes) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Malachy O’NeillThe 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.
In his position at Ulster University, Professor O’Neill takes responsibility for relationships with key stakeholders including governmental agencies, councils, trusts, and other relevant authorities on behalf of the institution. He was awarded a personal chair in Irish (2020) and was provost magee campus (2016-2021) and head of the School of Irish Language and Literature (2012-2017). He has played a central role in a range of strategic initiatives for the university, including city and growth deals (UK government), Shared Island (Irish government), the inception of a School of Medicine (opened in 2021), the development of the North West Cross-border Tertiary Cluster (with FE/HE partners), and the accreditation of Derry/Strabane as a UNESCO Learning City Region.
He was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2019, the highest accolade in UK Higher Education, and is a principal fellow of the Higher Education Authority. He was appointed to the Department for Communities’ Irish Language Strategy Expert Advisory Panel in 2021 was a member of the Irish Government’s Review Board of the Official Irish Language Standard (2016). He was editor of An tUltach (2008-2010). His research includes modern Irish pedagogy, the O’Neill dynasty, and Irish language theatre; and he is lead investigator (Northern Ireland) in the c.€4million Shared Island social capital research initiative with NUI Galway, University of Limerick and Atlantic Technological University. He is a board member of the Derry Chamber of Commerce and a director on the Governing Body of North West Regional College. For more information on Professor O’Neill, go here.
Malachy recently contributed his voice to the International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA). Go here to listen to him speak both English and Irish.
For information about Irish and Celtic Studies at Ulster University, go here. A similar resource can be found here. In addition, An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) is currently making cinematic waves. And for Irish poetry, visit Lyrikline. Lastly, a wide range of short films are available online, particularly on YouTube. Yu Ming is Ainm Dom (My Name is Yu Ming), below, is a particularly illustrative look at the Irish language as perceived by both the Irish and non-Irish.
Below is a transcription of the text that Professor O’Neill reads:
Extract from An Druma Mór by Seosamh Mac Grianna (An Gúm, 1969):
Eadar sliabh agus cladach, ó Iorras go Málainn Mhór, atá Gaeltacht Thír Chonaill, mar bheadh sí ag casmairt le fiántas na farraige móire. Is iomaí fail agus cneá ar na cladaigh chéanna, is iomaí colm agus gág iontu, de thairbhe an chomhraic sin a thosaigh sula dtáinig Parthalán go hInis Samhaoir, sea, agus sula dtáinig blianta nó laetha chun an tsaoil as broinn chian cheoch na haimsire. Tá an brablach tanaí domasaí atá mar úir ann ina luí ar na creagacha is sine ar an domhan; tá grágáin go fras ann – buna na gcrann mór a mbíodh an eilit ag dul i bhfostó iontu sula gcuala Éire guth daonna riamh. Ní inseoidh neach saolta goidé mar cuireadh síol an fhraoigh atá le fáil go fóill, d’ainneoin curaíochta, síos go fíorbhéal an láin mhara. Níl seanchas lena inse féin cé a chuir an chéad spád ann. Ach is furast a dhreach a shamhailt sula ndeachthas a bhaint barr as …
English translation:
The Big Drum by Art Hughes (Ben Madigan Press, 2009):
The Gaeltacht of Tyrconnell lies between the rugged mountain and rocky shores from Urris to Malinmore, as if it were dueling with the Great Ocean. These same shores bear many wounds and scars, gores and gashes as a consequence of that conflict which began before Parthalán came to Inis Samhaoir, yes and before years or days came into the world from the distant, misty womb of time. The thin covering of mossy ground which serves as soil there lies on the oldest rocks in creation; bog oak is found in abundance – the stumps of the great trees into which the doe used to flee before Ireland ever heard a human voice. No living soul could ever tell how the first seeds of heather were planted, a plant which, in spite of tillage, is still found to the very edge of the sea. No living lore recounts who thrust the first spade there, but it is easy to imagine its countenance before it was ploughed for crops …
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 61 (Irish: A Language in Danger) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
Julien MeyerFor the first podcast of 2023, Paul discusses the unique topic of whistled speech with Julien Meyer, linguist, acoustician, and professor at the European Institutes for Advanced Study at the University of Lyon, France.
Found in more than 80 languages around the world, whistled speech, or whistled language, is often used to communicate when other forms of speech cannot be used or cannot be heard, often outdoors at great distances.
Meyer was a post-doctoral associate researcher (CNPq) at the Linguistics Division of the Museu Goeldi in Belém, Brazil, from 2009 to 2013. He holds a Ph.D. in cognitive sciences option linguistics from the University of Lyon and is currently a CNRS researcher at the GIPSA-lab in Grenoble, France.
His research is focused on acoustic communication, principally human language. He studies cognitive, physiologic, ecologic and environmental constraints that influence language production and comprehension.
Meyer is the author of Whistled Languages: A Worldwide Inquiry on Human Whistled Speech (2015). He is a research fellow of the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions programme at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Grenoble, for a project called Icon-Eco-Speech.
With global inquiries on whistled, drummed, and other instrumental forms of languages based on first-hand fieldwork documentation and study in 15 different language communities, Meyer has developed a unique expertise on natural human telecommunication systems and musical surrogacy encoding human language. He develops methodologies to run production and perception experiments both in the field and in the lab. His research also deals with the music-language edge and the relationships between language and natural rural environments.
For additional information about Meyer and whistled speech, visit Eurias-FP.Edu, KnowableMagazine.org, and SoundCloud.com. And for videos related to this topic, watch the YouTube clips below:
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
The post Episode 60 (Whistled Speech) first appeared on Paul Meier Dialect Services.
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.
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/.
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.
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.
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.
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/.
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/.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For the September 2021 podcast, Paul and his guest, legendary linguist David Crystal, converse about ... conversation itself.
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.
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.
The topic for the June 2021 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.
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/.
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.
For the March 2021 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."
For the February 2021 podcast, Paul discusses Polari, the secret language used predominantly by gay men in the United Kingdom in the 19th and 20th centuries. Paul's guest is Paul Baker, professor of English Language at Lancaster University and author of multiple books on the topic.
The topic for the January 2021 podcast is what Paul's guest, Jan Gist, calls "Shakespeare's Shapely Language." Shapes is her term for literary or rhetorical tropes; she and Paul broaden the discussion to reflect on how such ancient devices figure in advertising, political oratory, and other forms of the spoken word today. For more information on Jan, visit http://jangistspeaking.com.
The December 2020 podcast focuses on the earliest sound recordings: the experiments of Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville and Thomas Edison. Paul Meier's guest is Patrick Feaster, principal of First Sounds.org (along with David Giavannoni) and creator of Phonozoic.net, a website devoted to the history of the phonograph and related media. Film historian and IDEA Executive Editor Cameron Meier joins the conversation.
The topic for November 2020 is the Ancient Greek language. Paul's guest is Rush Rehm, professor of Theater and Classics at Stanford University, and their discussion tackles many aspects of Ancient Greek, including the sound of the language and theatrical performances in Ancient Greece.
The guest for October 2020 is Dr. Joyce Sukumane, the distinguished South African linguist. Paul and Joyce discuss topics related to African languages, voices, dialects, and language policy.
Paul's guest for September 2020 is renowned dialect coach Jerome Butler, founder of DialectCoachesCorner.com. Paul and Jerome discuss many topics related to dialect coaching but pay particular attention to accent modification (often called accent reduction), for those wishing to alter their native accent or dialect.
In the August 2020 podcast, Paul discusses foreign-language accents in a variety of contexts, including acting, everyday comprehension, "accent reduction," "reverse mistakes," the terms "accents and dialects," and the rhythm of language.
For the July 2020 podcast, Paul introduces his latest dialect product, Estuary, and contrasts the dialect with other British sounds. Estuary can be found in his new "Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen: Deluxe Streaming Edition."
For the June 2020 podcast, Paul discusses ritual speech, which can include oaths, vows, blessings, mantras, curses, spells, formal prayers, invocations, religious worship, opening ceremonies, atonements, coronations, inaugurations, declarations of sovereignty, and formal sentencings of the convicted defendant in criminal courts.
The May 2020 podcast focuses on the Russian language and Russian accents, and features Professor Curtis Ford. Curt and Paul discuss the challenges Russians face when speaking English and the challenges English-speaking actors face when playing Russian characters. Visit the May 2020 podcast page at PaulMeier.com for more information on Curt's projects.
For the April 2020 podcast, Paul explores the power of the spoken word and the necessity of communication, specifically the importance of secret languages such as Polari, Ob, Pig-Latin, Efe, Pe, and Verlan.
For the March 2020 episode, Paul talks to Micha Espinosa, a vocal coach, artist, activist, IDEA associate editor, and professor of voice and acting at Arizona State University. Micha and Paul discuss various topics related to the Spanish language, including Spanish linguistics and dialects, and Hispanic, Latino/a/x, and Chicano culture and identity.
The February 2020 podcast focuses on Scotland, specifically all its rich dialects, accents, and languages. Paul's guest is Professor Ros Steen. For more about information about Professor Steen, visit her IDEA profile at https://www.dialectsarchive.com/ros-steen. You will find transcripts of the passages she speaks at https://www.paulmeier.com/2020/01/02/episode-25-tongues/of/scotland.
Paul's first guest of 2020 is renowned dialect coach Jill McCullough. Co-author of the popular "Comma Gets a Cure" elicitation passage and dialect coach to dozens of film and television actors, Jill is one of the top professionals in her field. She and Paul discuss all things related to accent and dialect coaching for the entertainment industry.
Paul's guest for his final 2019 podcast is Elspeth Morrison, who, as well as helping actors learn accents and dialects, works on voice and delivery with on-air talent at the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and elsewhere. Paul and Elspeth discuss broadcast journalism, speech training for on-air presenters, and accents and dialects in the context of British television news.
Paul's guest for November 2019 is eminent linguist David Crystal. Paul and David discuss the history of Received Pronunciation (RP), also known as the Queen’s English, BBC English, and Standard British English. They also discuss the newer dialect often referred to as Estuary.
For more information about David, visit DavidCrystal.com, OriginalPronunciation.com, and ShakespearesWords.com.
Paul’s guest for October 2019 is his son, Cameron Meier, film critic and IDEA Executive Editor. The two discuss movie dialects. (Learn more about Cameron at MeierMovies.com.)
For his September 2019 podcast, Paul talks to comedy icon Laraine Newman about acting, improv, and the art of the voiceover performer.
For his August 2019 podcast, Paul talks about "The Dictionary of American Regional English" (www.DareDictionary.com) with its editor, Joan Hall.
Paul's podcast guests for July 2019 are Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher of “Vocal Process.” Internationally renowned voice experts specializing in vocal technique and performance in many different genres, this husband-and-wife team combine a deep understanding of the voice that comes from science knowledge, performance practice, and decades of experience. (Visit VocalProcess.co.uk for more information.) The three discuss speaking and singing.
Paul’s guest for June 2019 is Rena Cook, a TEDx speaker, author, and voice, speech, confidence, and presentation coach. Rena and Paul discuss voice and speech, particularly among women. Rena is the founder of Vocal Authority and the author of "Empower your Voice: For Women in Business, Politics and Life" and "Voice and the Young Actor," and an IDEA associate editor.
For the May 2019 edition of his podcast, Paul discusses voice and speech with Kristin Linklater, a towering figure in the world of voice and speech training. Read about Kristin at www.LinklaterVoice.com.
For the April 2019 podcast, Paul discusses speech rhythm with Phil Thompson, co-founder of Knight/Thompson Speechwork, a masterteacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, and a professor in the Department of Drama at the University of California, Irvine.
Paul’s guests for March 2019 are IDEA Associate Editor Elizabeth Montoya-Stemann and IDEA Senior Editor Dylan Paul. They discuss the culture, languages, voices, and accents and dialects of the Caribbean.
This month’s podcast, for February 2019, focuses on releasing the power of the text. Paul’s guest is David Alan Stern, founder of Dialect Accent Specialists. Paul and David discuss the language arts as they impact the spoken word in all its manifestations and delve into topics such as eloquence, emphasis, public speaking, oratory, recitation, rhetorical skills, verse speaking, and vocal variety. For information about Professor Stern, visit https://learnaccent.com/about/.
For his first podcast of 2019, Paul discusses the history and sounds of "Strine," the Australian dialect, with renowned Australian dialect coach Linda Nicholls-Gidley.
For his December 2018 podcast, Paul discusses idiolects with Amy Stoller, one of New York’s most successful dialect coaches. Amy is an IDEA associate editor and creator of the Stoller System.
Paul’s musings for the November 2018 podcast start with the old adage “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it,” and take off from there to cover sacred texts, profane politicians, and pumped-up actors.
For the October 2018 podcast, Paul's guest is Jim Johnson, an IDEA associate editor, a professor and director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance, and founder of AccentHelp. Paul and Jim talk about dialects and accents, dialect-sample gathering, dialects on stage and in film, and accents and dialects in life.
The September 2018 podcast is all about phonetics and spelling. Paul offers up a provocative thought experiment that floats the idea of reforming our everyday spelling, replacing it with the International Phonetic Alphabet. To download the accompanying PDF, visit the "In a Manner of Speaking" page on PaulMeier.com.
In the August 2018 episode, Paul asks why native English speakers across most ethnicities and cultures are apparently addicted to two-syllable names for their children, names with the accent on the first syllable. Why are names like Mary and David at the top of the list and not Celeste and Emil?
In the July 2018 episode, Paul leads the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA). Paul gives insights into the founding of IDEA back in 1998, and we hear from a few people who have had a large role to play in the archive's success over the last two decades.
Paul's guest for June 2018 is David Crystal, one of the world's most famous linguists and the leader of the modern movement we call OP: Original Pronunciation of Shakespeare’s works. David explains the fascinating linguistic subfield of Pragmatics, which he defines as the "study of the choices that you make when you use language, the reasons for those choices, and the effects that the choices convey."
Paul’s guest for May 2018 is Cameron Meier, Executive Editor of IDEA, Vice President of Paul Meier Dialect Services, journalist (see MeierMovies.com), and Paul’s son. Paul and Cameron discuss the art of the newscaster and the values of broadcast journalism while listening to clips from famous newscasters.
In this episode, Paul talks with guests Sera-Lys McArthur and Eric Armstrong. While the speech of Indigenous people (particularly those of North America) is the broad topic, they also talk at length about the politics and ethics of dialect work in theatre and film, and of the gathering of dialect samples from Indigenous speech donors. You will hear a clip from Sera-Lys McArthur’s miniseries, "The Englishman’s Boy." You will find the text and translation of the Nakota speech on the web page associated with this podcast at paulmeier.com.
In this month’s podcast, Paul discusses the art of audiobook narration with industry leaders Tavia Gilbert and Julia Whelan. Find Julia’s work on Audible.com. "My Oxford Year" will be published in April and released on Audible on April 24. See our full website for links at paulmeier.com.
This first podcast focuses on Shakespeare’s Original Pronunciation (the dialect of English spoken in the late 16th and early 17th century). It also serves as an introduction to the entire In a Manner of Speaking series, as Paul briefly touches on several topics of upcoming podcasts. For more information about the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s upcoming production of Twelfth Night, visit the site.