Word of Mouth

Michael Rosen talks to anthropologist Jamie Tehrani about how fairy tales travel the world, ever changing and evolving. He’s traced their transmission across oral traditions: the kinds of plots, characters and motifs that endure. From the Iranian Prince Zāl to Little Red Riding Hood's compelling Chinese cousin: The Tiger Grandmother. Jamie Tehrani is Professor in the Department of Anthropology at...

Michael Rosen on the words used to describe the qualities of smells in different languages. Asifa Majid is Professor of Cognitive Science at Oxford and her research has found that some do it much better than others. She puts Michael to the test to see how English stacks up. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open University Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast...

Michael Rosen meets popular YouTuber Simon Roper, who tries to recreate how people spoke in the past. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz

The words that we use to label or describe things in nature – words for landscapes, creatures, seasons, the weather – can they help awaken us to the world around us? Drawing on languages from all over the world, Michael Rosen hears about Words to Love a Planet: An Illustrated Dictionary of Language, Landscape and Life from author Ella Frances Sanders. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol, in partnership...

Michael Rosen finds out about fascinating literary errors from editor Rebecca Lee, the author of Rogues, Widows and Orphans: Mischief and Misadventures in the World of Books. They share favourite famous typos and find out where the phrase "out of sorts" originated. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and neve...

Oracy, alongside literacy and numeracy, is being encouraged in schools. Amy Gaunt, from the charity Voice 21, explains to Michael Rosen how children are learning to talk, and through talk. How does talking about a subject help children learn about it? And how does an oracy rich classroom help the less able as well as the more confident? We also hear from Tia, who went to a school that works with V...

On his 80th birthday, Michael Rosen discusses with Dara Ó Briain how we talk about and understand time, and how we look back on the different chapters of our lives. To hear the full conversation, download the podcast. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/...

Michael Rosen talks to Sophia Smith Galer about the languages we're losing. She's found that by the end of this century half of the world’s 7000 languages will be gone, and she's travelled across the world to meet both the people who are experiencing this and those who are fighting to keep the words and the knowledge they hold alive. Sophia Smith Galer is the author of How to Kill a Language: Powe...

Michael Rosen talks to Ione Georgakis from Tourette Action about about her personal and professional experience of Tourette Syndrome and vocal tics. How and why do tics happen, and what are some of the myths and misunderstandings around the syndrome? Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an epi...

Michael Rosen talks to linguist Teddy Mack about Vincy, a language rooted in English spoken on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, alongside standard English. But the English Teddy encountered when he moved to the UK proved to be very different (and far from standardised) and he's learned to switch throughout his life. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open Univ...

Michael Rosen talks to James Geary about his lifetime obsession, aphorisms. These short, witty philosophical sayings have been coined by everyone from Emily Dickinson and James Baldwin to Hallmark, and even Michael's mum. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/s...

Michael Rosen talks to digital anthropologist Jennifer Cearns about the rise of AI companions- how do we talk to AI, and how does AI talk to us? They discuss how chatbots work, whether Michael is replaceable, different application for AI, including romantic partners and griefbots, and what happens when an AI companion goes wrong. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven, in partnership with...

As a port city Liverpool has long been open to a wide variety of global influences and languages that developed into a way of speaking that's termed 'Scouse' - from a word that probably originates in the Baltic region derived from the word 'lobscouse'. Tony Crowley grew up in the heart of Liverpool. When he left home and went to Oxford University he became increasingly aware of his accent and his...

Michael Rosen goes on an alphabetical odyssey with linguist Dr Danny Bate, author of the book 'Why Q needs U: A History of Our Letters and how We Use Them'. From A through to Z, where did all our letters come from, and how have they changed over time? Produced in partnership with the Open University by Becky Ripley.

Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo and many other beloved children's books, tells Michael Rosen about her own writing, reading, speaking and listening. Her childhood experiences were a big influence, as was busking in Paris and writing songs which ended up on Play School and Play Away. One of the songs became her first book, A Squash and a Squeeze. They also talk about Julia's new book, Paper...

Michael Rosen on the linguistic comfort food of clichés, pragmatics and how we use language to connect us beyond the actual words used. Derek Bousfield explains how words do more than carry meaning: context governs what we say and how it’s understood. Dr Bousfield is Reader in Pragmatics and Communication and Co-Director of The Manchester Centre for Research in Linguistics and co-author of Talking...

The 'Manosphere' is a group of loosely affiliated mainly young males who have developed a specialised vocabulary to discuss women online in a negative and hostile way. Some of the vocabulary is a response to feminism which some men claim is diminishing their role in society. For other men a failure to attract women has given rise to phrases such as Chad and Stacey and a belief in the 80/20 theory...

Michael Rosen is joined by linguist Dr Catherine Laing to discuss onomatopoeia and other words that sound like their meanings. Not just words for sounds like 'crash' and 'bang', or words for animal noises like 'woof' and 'quack', but also other words which perhaps hold something of their meaning within their form. Is there something rough about the word 'rough'? Does 'smooth' feel smooth? And how...

Michael Rosen talks to criminal defence barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind about the legal language of Crown Court cases in England and Wales. From the grandeur of the courtroom and stock phrases like "with respect to my learned friend" to the more colloquial directness of talking to a defendant. How do barristers build persuasive arguments when talking to a jury, or when discussing legal matters wit...

Michael Rosen talks to Samantha Ellis, author of Chopping Onions on My Heart, about her efforts to keep alive the language of her parents: Judeo-Iraqi Arabic. Samantha grew up in London hearing her parents speak the language they spoke in their homeland of Iraq. Now she's keen to try and speak it herself, and to share the poetic expressions of Judeo-Iraqi Arabic with her son. Produced for BBC Audi...

Michael Rosen asks what happens to people's sense of identity and social being when speaking becomes hard. Jonathan Cole has interviewed people with conditions such as cerebral palsy, vocal cord palsy, spasmodic dysphonia and post-stroke aphasia. They describe in their own words what the experience of not being able to express themselves is like, the frustration and isolation as well as the adapta...

Michael Rosen talks to sociolinguist Dr Haru Yamada about how we listen in different ways across different cultures and social groups. It's the side of conversation that is not about talking, but which is equally - if not more - important to how we communicate. Haru is the author of 'Kiku: The Japonese Art of Good Listening', and she believes that listening is something we can all learn to do bett...

Most of us make lists in some form or other - from essential groceries to reasons to feel positive about life. In this programme Linguistics Researcher Jo Nolan talks to Michael about her interest in the language we use in their making and their uses in literature and society. Jo says the language we use in our lists is idiolectal - it reflects our inner selves, whether in our abbreviations, our c...

In a special recording at the Hay Festival, Michael Rosen talks to bilingual Welsh radio and television presenter Huw Stephens about the Welsh language. And then Huw gets Michael to try reading 'Dyn Ni yn Mynd i Hela Arth, also known as We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never...

Michael Rosen hears the fascinating story of the origin of all Indo-European languages from Laura Spinney, the author of Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global. Today, nearly half of humanity speaks an Indo-European language and Laura has been investigating how that came to be. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mout...