Episodes

  • Episode 76 (African-American English)

    Episode 76 (African-American English)
    May 1 2024
    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.
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    39 mins
  • Episode 75 (Loudmouths and the Sound of Silence)

    Episode 75 (Loudmouths and the Sound of Silence)
    Apr 1 2024
    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.
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    26 mins
  • Episode 74 (Folk Linguistics)

    Episode 74 (Folk Linguistics)
    Mar 1 2024
    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.
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    39 mins
  • Episode 73 (The American Dialect Society)

    Episode 73 (The American Dialect Society)
    Feb 1 2024
    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.
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    48 mins
  • Episode 72 (The Word: an Illusive Concept)

    Episode 72 (The Word: an Illusive Concept)
    Jan 1 2024
    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.
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    41 mins
  • Episode 71 (The History of Silent Reading)

    Episode 71 (The History of Silent Reading)
    Dec 1 2023
    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.
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    35 mins
  • Episode 70 (How American English Got Its Start)

    Episode 70 (How American English Got Its Start)
    Nov 1 2023
    In this, the 70th episode of Paul Meier's "In a Manner of Speaking" podcast, we learn what Colonial American English might have sounded like. Paul examines this fascinating and understudied topic with Karen Burgos, a freelance linguist, independent researcher, and founder of Ace Linguist. For extra free content on this topic and all of Paul's podcasts, refer to the main podcast page at PaulMeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking.
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    38 mins
  • Episode 69 (Orality and Literacy)

    Episode 69 (Orality and Literacy)
    Oct 1 2023
    For the October 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," Paul Meier discusses the connection between orality and literacy with Professor Brian Ott, an expert in the field of rhetoric and media. They discuss many topics related to rhetoric and the oral tradition throughout human history.
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    41 mins