76 episodes

Welcome to Paul Meier's free, monthly "In a Manner of Speaking" podcasts, which he began in February 2018. Each podcast tackles a topic related to the spoken word, including idiolects, news reading, pragmatics, code-switching, Original Pronunciation, phonetics, dialect clichés and stereotypes, and dialects of indigenous peoples.

Paul also invites guests, such as renowned linguist David Crystal, indigenous-speech expert Eric Armstrong, Audie Award-winning audiobook narrators Tavia Gilbert and Julia Whelan, renowned dialect coaches and designers Jim Johnson and Amy Stoller, actress Laraine Newman, and Australian bestseller writer Mem Fox.

(Bach's Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)

In a Manner of Speaking Paul Meier

    • Arts
    • 4.7 • 24 Ratings

Welcome to Paul Meier's free, monthly "In a Manner of Speaking" podcasts, which he began in February 2018. Each podcast tackles a topic related to the spoken word, including idiolects, news reading, pragmatics, code-switching, Original Pronunciation, phonetics, dialect clichés and stereotypes, and dialects of indigenous peoples.

Paul also invites guests, such as renowned linguist David Crystal, indigenous-speech expert Eric Armstrong, Audie Award-winning audiobook narrators Tavia Gilbert and Julia Whelan, renowned dialect coaches and designers Jim Johnson and Amy Stoller, actress Laraine Newman, and Australian bestseller writer Mem Fox.

(Bach's Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)

    Episode 76 (African-American English)

    Episode 76 (African-American English)

    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.

    • 38 min
    Episode 75 (Loudmouths and the Sound of Silence)

    Episode 75 (Loudmouths and the Sound of Silence)

    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.

    • 25 min
    Episode 74 (Folk LInguistics)

    Episode 74 (Folk LInguistics)

    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.

    • 39 min
    Episode 73 (The American Dialect Society)

    Episode 73 (The American Dialect Society)

    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.

    • 47 min
    Episode 72 (The Word: an Illusive Concept)

    Episode 72 (The Word: an Illusive Concept)

    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.

    • 41 min
    Episode 71 (The History of Silent Reading)

    Episode 71 (The History of Silent Reading)

    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.

    • 34 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
24 Ratings

24 Ratings

Mime on wire ,

Are you interested in Accents

Paul Meier knows his stuff.
The deep dives into dialects, accents, Shakespeare - terrific.
A rare chance to hear voice luminaries talk on topics.
The episode on Polari - fascinating.

Jim@moviebrainrot ,

Learning Tool

Thank-you so much for this podcast. It compliments your site and materials very well.

girlinpearls ,

Tedious

It is impossible to listen to learn when every syllable he says takes long seconds to produce. Truly. Please make the focus learning and not YOUR presentation. I have given this podcast every chance because I love to hear and learn accents...I now cringe while waiting to hear something interesting.

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