Word of Mouth

Series exploring the world of words and the ways in which we use them

Radio 4,304 episodes

Episodes

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Jackie Kay on the Scots language
Jackie Kay has written a book in Scots and tells Michael about her love of the language.
23 Jan 2025,28 mins
The Language of Genetics
Adam Rutherford joins Michael to unpick the knotty language we use to talk about genetics.
16 Jan 2025,28 mins
Susie Dent's World of Words
Susie Dent joins Michael to talk about her lifelong fascination with words and languages.
09 Jan 2025,28 mins
Social media language
How language is used on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter/X.
03 Oct 2024,28 mins
How Animals Talk
Michael hears about how animals communicate, and why, from zoologist Arik Kershenbaum.
26 Sep 2024,28 mins
A Poet Writing in Three Languages
Poet Nabeela Ahmed on being multilingual.
22 Sep 2024,28 mins
Fine Distinctions
Eli Burnstein talks about fine distinctions between words.
12 Sep 2024,28 mins
Former astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield on the language of Space exploration
The Canadian former astronaut and author talks about communicating Space
05 Sep 2024,28 mins
The words we use about getting older and why they matter
How we talk about getting older can affect how we age. Michael hears from Dr Lucy Pollock.
29 Aug 2024,28 mins
How babies learn language
Professor Julian Pine on how babies learn language.
22 Aug 2024,28 mins
Little Green Men: the secret rules of word order
Michael explores the mysterious rules of word order with linguist Dr Laura Bailey.
13 Jun 2024,28 mins
Word of Mouth with Michael Morpurgo at the Hay Festival
In conversation with Michael Morpurgo at the Hay Festival.
06 Jun 2024,28 mins
Language When There Are No Words
Joshua Reno talks about how Charlie, his non verbal-autistic son, communicates with him.
30 May 2024,28 mins
The Irish Language
What the Irish language tells us about the world
23 May 2024,28 mins
Disaster Dialogue
Professor Lucy Easthope explains why language is important in the aftermath of a disaster.
16 May 2024,28 mins
Football Club Names
Dominic Fifield explains how football clubs got their names.
09 May 2024,28 mins
How to Think Like an Anthropologist, with Gillian Tett
Michael Rosen is joined by Gillian Tett, columnist at the Financial Times.
20 Feb 2024,28 mins
Family Sayings
Michael shares listeners' stories about words and phrases passed down through families.
13 Feb 2024,28 mins
Are you different in another language?
Can speaking another language change your behaviour, your decisions, even your morals?
06 Feb 2024,28 mins
Unequal English
Michael Rosen is joined by Ruanni Tupas to discuss English from around the world.
30 Jan 2024,28 mins
Words for Sale!
Dr Pip Thornton and Michael Rosen explore how language has become an online commodity.
23 Jan 2024,28 mins
A Life in Lexicography
Lexicographer Grant Barrett on dictionaries.
16 Jan 2024,28 mins
Writing Comedy with Isy Suttie
Comedian Isy Suttie on how she writes comedy
09 Jan 2024,28 mins
Everyday Shakespeare
Are you quoting Shakespeare without even realising?
22 Aug 2023,28 mins
Therapy Speak
Susie Orbach talks to Michael Rosen about the use and misuse of 'therapy speak'.
15 Aug 2023,28 mins
Fandom
Michael Bond talks to Michael Rosen about the ways in which fans talk to each other.
08 Aug 2023,28 mins
The stories behind our names
Michael talks to Sheela Banerjee about the family and cultural histories revealed by names
01 Aug 2023,28 mins
Audio description: putting art into words
Audio describer Lonny Evans and trainer Terry James talk about how to describe art.
25 Jul 2023,28 mins
Interpreting Presidents Putin and Zelensky
An insight into the world of a simultaneous interpreter.
18 Jul 2023,28 mins
Learning Yiddish
Michael Rosen with his Yiddish language teacher Tamara Micner.
11 Jul 2023,27 mins