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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It's language, Jim, but not as we know it
Michael Rosen talks to science communicator Dr Hannah Little.
25 Jan 2022,28 mins
When Words Fail Us
Kathryn Mannix and Michael Rosen on how to talk tenderly and and listen well.
18 Jan 2022,28 mins
Words from World War I
Michael Rosen and Professor Lynda Mugglestone explore the new language from World War I.
11 Jan 2022,28 mins
Digital body language: how to work online
Michael Rosen gets advice from Erica Dhawan on the best ways to communicate on-screen.
24 Aug 2021,28 mins
When people get your name wrong
Michael Rosen on why personal names are mistaken or misspelled, in conversation and online
17 Aug 2021,28 mins
Accent Bias
Michael Rosen asks Devyani Sharma about the latest research into accent bias in the UK.
10 Aug 2021,28 mins
Cultish Language
Michael Rosen and Amanda Montell on who uses it and why.
03 Aug 2021,28 mins
Medical English
Michael Rosen asks Dr Sophie Harrison about the special language used by doctors.
27 Jul 2021,28 mins
The Art of Inventing Languages
Michael Rosen is joined by David J. Peterson, language creator for Game of Thrones.
20 Jul 2021,28 mins
Why is English so weird?
Michael Rosen hears why our language is a bit of a mess from linguist Arika Okrent
13 Jul 2021,28 mins
The Shipping Forecast: Internet Fandom
Michael Rosen talks to internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch about online fandom language.
11 May 2021,28 mins
Speech and Language Therapy
Michael Rosen talks to the speech and language therapist who helped him after Covid-19.
04 May 2021,28 mins
Coinages
Michael Rosen talks to Ralph Keyes about how words and phrases are coined.
27 Apr 2021,28 mins
Romance Fraud
Dr Elisabeth Carter talks to Michael about the language used by romance fraudsters.
20 Apr 2021,28 mins
Changing Names
Michael Rosen and BBC presenter Ben Boulos talk changing names.
13 Apr 2021,28 mins
Alphabetical Order
Michael Rosen and historian Judith Flanders talk categories and more.
06 Apr 2021,28 mins
LGBTQIA+ slang
Chloe Davis, creator of The Queen's English dictionary of LGBTQIA+ slang, talks to Michael
16 Feb 2021,28 mins
Hilary Mantel in conversation with Michael Rosen
Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall, talks to Michael Rosen about her life in language.
09 Feb 2021,28 mins
Bulls and Bears: animal metaphors in business language
Michael Rosen asks why there are so many terms related to animals in the business world.
02 Feb 2021,28 mins
Adam Bradley: The Poetry of Pop
Adam Bradley joins Michael from Los Angeles and talks about the poetry of pop
26 Jan 2021,28 mins
Being a Polyglot
Michael talks to Alex Rawlings about being a polyglot
19 Jan 2021,28 mins
How to Disagree
Michael Rosen and Darren Chetty explore ways of disagreeing that could help to unite us.
12 Jan 2021,28 mins
Talking Disability
Talking disability with Samantha Renke
05 Jan 2021,28 mins
Protest Slogans
Sabrina Mahfouz talks about protest slogans with Siana Bangura and Zoe Buckman.
25 Aug 2020,28 mins
Black masculinity and language
Jeffrey Boakye on the language of black masculinity in a post-colonial world.
18 Aug 2020,28 mins
Talking to Strangers
Professor Tanya Byron sitting in for Michael Rosen on talking to strangers.
11 Aug 2020,28 mins
Othering through the centuries: Translation to acronyms
Sabrina Mahfouz talks to Tobi Kyeremateng and Katherine Harloe about othering in language.
04 Aug 2020,28 mins
Words Used About Women
From hussy to bossy, spinster to slut, Professor Deborah Cameron on words used about women
28 Jul 2020,28 mins
The language of power and inequality in education and leadership
Jeffrey Boakye talks with Iesha Small on the language of power and inequality in education
21 Jul 2020,28 mins
The Language of the Pandemic
Professor Tanya Byron examines the language of Covid-19 with author Mark Honigsbaum.
14 Jul 2020,28 mins