In a Manner of Speaking

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 dev...

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-disorder...

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 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 infor...

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.