In a Manner of Speaking (Paul Meier)

The March 2025 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking" is the first to feature a playwright. Paul Meier discusses how playwrights hear their characters voices with Pulitzer Price-nominated James Still. 

Paul's February 2025 podcast episode is his first to focus on the speech of inanimate objects, specifically puppets. But as you will see from this month's guest, accomplished "Sesame Street" puppeteer Spencer Lott, they can be just as animated as any human. Spencer and Paul discuss puppetry and specifically the art of voicing the characters.

For the April 2025 episode, Paul discusses rhoticity, the use of the letter R in speech. For more information, visit the page associated with this podcast episode at PaulMeier.com/In-A-Manner-Of-Speaking.

This first podcast focuses on Shakespeare’s Original Pronunciation (the dialect of English spoken in the late 16th and early 17th century). It also serves as an introduction to the entire In a Manner of Speaking series, as Paul briefly touches on several topics of upcoming podcasts. For more information about the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s upcoming production of Twelfth Night, visit the site.

In this month’s podcast, Paul discusses the art of audiobook narration with industry leaders Tavia Gilbert and Julia Whelan. Find Julia’s work on Audible.com. "My Oxford Year" will be published in April and released on Audible on April 24. See our full website for links at paulmeier.com.

In this episode, Paul talks with guests Sera-Lys McArthur and Eric Armstrong. While the speech of Indigenous people (particularly those of North America) is the broad topic, they also talk at length about the politics and ethics of dialect work in theatre and film, and of the gathering of dialect samples from Indigenous speech donors. You will hear a clip from Sera-Lys McArthur’s miniseries, "The Englishman’s Boy." You will find the text and translation of the Nakota speech on the web page associated with this podcast at paulmeier.com.

Paul’s guest for May 2018 is Cameron Meier, Executive Editor of IDEA, Vice President of Paul Meier Dialect Services, journalist (see MeierMovies.com), and Paul’s son.  Paul and Cameron discuss the art of the newscaster and the values of broadcast journalism while listening to clips from famous newscasters.

Paul's guest for June 2018 is David Crystal, one of the world's most famous linguists and the leader of the modern movement we call OP: Original Pronunciation of Shakespeare’s works. David explains the fascinating linguistic subfield of Pragmatics, which he defines as the "study of the choices that you make when you use language, the reasons for those choices, and the effects that the choices convey."

In the July 2018 episode, Paul leads the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA). Paul gives insights into the founding of IDEA back in 1998, and we hear from a few people who have had a large role to play in the archive's success over the last two decades.

In the August 2018 episode, Paul asks why native English speakers across most ethnicities and cultures are apparently addicted to two-syllable names for their children, names with the accent on the first syllable. Why are names like Mary and David at the top of the list and not Celeste and Emil?

The September 2018 podcast is all about phonetics and spelling. Paul offers up a provocative thought experiment that floats the idea of reforming our everyday spelling, replacing it with the International Phonetic Alphabet. To download the accompanying PDF, visit the "In a Manner of Speaking" page on PaulMeier.com.

For the October 2018 podcast, Paul's guest is Jim Johnson, an IDEA associate editor, a professor and director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance, and founder of AccentHelp. Paul and Jim talk about dialects and accents, dialect-sample gathering, dialects on stage and in film, and accents and dialects in life.

Paul’s musings for the November 2018 podcast start with the old adage “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it,” and take off from there to cover sacred texts, profane politicians, and pumped-up actors.

For his December 2018 podcast, Paul discusses idiolects with Amy Stoller, one of New York’s most successful dialect coaches. Amy is an IDEA associate editor and creator of the Stoller System.

For his first podcast of 2019, Paul discusses the history and sounds of "Strine," the Australian dialect, with renowned Australian dialect coach Linda Nicholls-Gidley.

This month’s podcast, for February 2019, focuses on releasing the power of the text. Paul’s guest is David Alan Stern, founder of Dialect Accent Specialists. Paul and David discuss the language arts as they impact the spoken word in all its manifestations and delve into topics such as eloquence, emphasis, public speaking, oratory, recitation, rhetorical skills, verse speaking, and vocal variety. For information about Professor Stern, visit https://learnaccent.com/about/.

Paul’s guests for March 2019 are IDEA Associate Editor Elizabeth Montoya-Stemann and IDEA Senior Editor Dylan Paul. They discuss the culture, languages, voices, and accents and dialects of the Caribbean.

For the April 2019 podcast, Paul discusses speech rhythm with Phil Thompson, co-founder of Knight/Thompson Speechwork, a masterteacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, and a professor in the Department of Drama at the University of California, Irvine.

For the May 2019 edition of his podcast, Paul discusses voice and speech with Kristin Linklater, a towering figure in the world of voice and speech training. Read about Kristin at www.LinklaterVoice.com.

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.

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 information.) The three discuss speaking and singing.

For his August 2019 podcast, Paul talks about "The Dictionary of American Regional English" (www.DareDictionary.com) with its editor, Joan Hall.

For his September 2019 podcast, Paul talks to comedy icon Laraine Newman about acting, improv, and the art of the voiceover performer.

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.)

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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 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 conversation.

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.

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.

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 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-disorders), which she founded.

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/.

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 devoted to this podcast at PaulMeier.com for more information, including the links to the YouTube clips excerpted for this podcast.

Paul's guest for the July 2021 podcast is Professor Pamela Keller of the School of Law at the University of Kansas, where she teaches what she calls "lawyering skills." Appropriately, the topic of conversation is the spoken word as it relates to the law and, specifically, courtroom procedures and presentations. To learn more about Professor Keller, visit https://law.ku.edu/faculty/pamela-keller.

For the August 2021 podcast, Paul discusses heightened language and Black playwrights with Professor Jacqueline Springfield of Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn about Professor Springfield, please visit www.JacquelineSpringfield.com.

For the September 2021 podcast, Paul and his guest, legendary linguist David Crystal, converse about ... conversation itself.

Paul's guest for October 2021 is professional audiobook narrator Elizabeth Wiley. The two talk about everything related to the art of audiobook narration and read from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Andromeda Romano-Lax's "Annie and the Wolves," which is available at Audible.com. For more on Elizabeth, visit WileyVoice.com.

For the November 2021 podcast, Paul discusses the peculiarities of the English language with Arika Okrent, linguist and author of "Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don’t Rhyme." For more information on Arika, visit ArikaOkrent.com.

Paul's final guest for 2021 is Willem Hollmann, who has been generating headlines with his thoughts on how we teach grammar and dialects. A professor of linguistics and associate dean in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at Lancaster University in England, Hollmann encourages a more robust discussion of regional English dialects and grammar in English education. But his views have also been distorted by the media, so in this month's podcast, Paul and Willem set the record straight. All dialects are equal, but are some more equal than others? Find out by listening to the December podcast. To learn more about Paul's guest, visit https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/linguistics/about/people/willem-hollmann.

Paul's first 2022 guests are Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher of “Vocal Process." The three discuss pitch, specifically the extremes of the human voice as it relates to both speaking and singing. For more information, including biographies of Gillyanne and Jeremy, and links to the full recordings excerpted here, visit the page devoted to this month's podcast on PaulMeier.com.

Paul's guest for February 2022 is Lane Greene, language columnist and Spain correspondent for "The Economist." This month's episode takes its title from one of Lane's books, "You Are What You Speak," and Paul and Lane tackle a variety of topics related to linguistics, accents, and the myths, fears, and hopes surrounding language. For more information on Lane, visit LaneGreene.com.

Paul’s guest for March 2022 is Denise Woods, a successful Hollywood dialect coach, theatre professor at the California Institute of the Arts, and author of "The Power of Voice." The two discuss topics related to dialect coaching, including audiobook narration, accent modification or "reduction," and coaching Black actors.

The April 2022 episode is a celebration of the first 50 episodes of "In a Manner of Speaking," the podcast Paul began in February 2018. Reminisce with Paul about some of his favorite episodes and join him in thanking all his guests -- and YOU for listening. And, as always, visit the main podcast page (https://www.paulmeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking/) for more info. (Bach's Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)

Paul's guests for May 2022 are Edda Sharpe and Jan Haydn Rowles, authors of "How To Do Accents" and leading figures in the world of voice, speech, and dialects. The three discuss dialects in the English National Opera revival of "My Fair Lady" (coached by Edda) and the film "Belfast" (coached by Jan). They also engage in a larger discussion of dialects and accents, including the ones featured in those productions: Received Pronunciation (RP), Northern Irish, and Cockney.

For the June 2022 edition of his "In a Manner of Speaking" podcast, Paul Meier welcomes the "Bard of Bath," Kevan Manwaring. The two discuss the ancient Bardic Tradition and how it is still relevant and powerful today. For more information on Kevan and the Bardic Tradition, visit PaulMeier.com/2022/06/01/episode-53-the-bard-of-bath/.

Patsy Rodenburg -- often considered the world's leading voice teacher and coach -- is Paul Meier's guest for the July 2022 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking." Paul and Patsy discuss a range of topics related to Patsy's forthcoming book, "The Woman's Voice." For more information about Professor Rodenburg, OBE, please visit the web page on PaulMeier.com devoted to this podcast, or https://patsyrodenburg.co.uk/.

Paul's guest for August 2022 is Nick Enfield, professor of linguistics at the University of Sydney. Inspired by Nick's 2022 book, "Language Vs. Reality: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists," Paul and Nick discuss how language is not always the best tool for conveying and representing reality. For more information on Professor Enfield, visit NickEnfield.org. And for more information (and lots of complementary content) on the topics discussed in this and all of Paul's podcasts, please visit the main podcast page at PaulMeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking.

For the September 2022 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," Paul welcomes back renowned linguist and author David Crystal for his fourth appearance on the podcast. They discuss various topics related to David's 2018 book, "Sounds Appealing," including pronunciation, phonetics, phoneticians, speech melody, intonation, stress patterning. For information on David, visit his website, DavidCrystal.com. And for more info (and lots of complementary content) on the topics discussed in this and all of Paul's podcasts, please visit the main podcast page at PaulMeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking.

How do babies learn to talk? That's the topic of the October 2022 episode of Paul's podcast. And to help answer that question, Paul welcomes Jenny Saffran, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert in cognitive and linguistic sciences. For more info (and complementary content) on the topics discussed in this and all of Paul's podcasts, visit PaulMeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking.

For the November 2022 episode, Paul welcomes Gideon Burton, professor in the English Department at Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City, Utah, and creator of the website "Silva Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric." Paul and Gideon discuss Shakespeare's use of rhetoric, in addition to rhetoric in general, which is often defined as the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing. For more information on Gideon and this topic (and for all of Paul's previous podcasts), visit https://www.paulmeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking/.

Welcome to the December 2022 podcast, in which Paul and his guests, Enrique Pardo and Linda Wise of Pantheatre, discuss the legacy of the intriguing and often controversial actor and vocalist Roy Hart (1926-1975). Pardo and Wise have spent decades building on the legacy of Hart, who is known for his almost superhuman vocal range, avant-garde performances, and work with German singing teacher Alfred Wolfsohn. Visit PaulMeier.com/2022/12/01/Episode-59-Exploring-Roy-Harts-Legacy for more information on Hart, Pardo, and Wise.

For the first podcast of 2023, Paul discusses whistled speech with Julien Meyer, linguist, acoustician, and professor at the European Institutes for Advanced Study at the University of Lyon, France. For more information and free content related to this topic, visit the podcast page at PaulMeier.com.

The Irish language is the podcast topic for February 2023, and Paul's guest is Professor Malachy O'Neill, Irish language scholar and director of Regional Engagement at Ulster University. Paul and Malachy discuss all aspects of the Irish language, including its history, dialects and status as an endangered language. For more information about Professor O'Neill, plus free content related to this topic, visit https://www.paulmeier.com/2023/02/01/episode-61-irish-a-language-in-danger/.

For the March 2023 episode, Paul takes an in-depth look at speed talking and singing. He examines world records and introduces us to people who are called upon to talk or sing quickly -- from actors to auctioneers to debaters to people who simply enjoy speaking at high speeds. For the full clips excerpted in this episode, plus more free content, visit the episode 62 podcast page at https://www.paulmeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking/.

Welcome to the April 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking." This month's guest is Dr. Catherine Sangster, executive editor of pronunciations at Oxford Languages. She has been in charge of the Oxford English Dictionary's pronunciations for 11 years.

For the May 2023 episode, Paul and his guest, former BBC Pronunciation Adviser Graham Pointon, attempt to answer the popular question "What's in a Name?" They discuss how one decides on proper pronunciations of people and place names.

For the June 2023 podcast, Paul interviews Namecoach founder and CEO Praveen Shanbhag. They discuss name pronunciation in general while talking about Namecoach itself, which allows people to record their own name and embed that recording in their e-mail or social-media account.

The July 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking" is all about William Shakespeare. Paul dives deep into the Bard, from iambic pentameter, to scansion, to scoring, to metre, to Original Pronunciation. It's a fun exercise for scholars and professionals but also actors just beginning their Shakespeare journey.

For the August 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," Paul talks to Jill Purce, the doyenne of harmonic overtone chanting, which is often called polyphonic overtone singing, or singing two or more notes at the same time. Paul and Jill discuss all aspects of this unique art. Visit the podcast page for this episode at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking for lots of extra free content.

The September 2023 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking" features a trip through time:  a conversation between Paul and renowned linguist David Crystal about the history of the English language. David traces the development of English from the Roman occupation of Britain to the spread of Modern English around the world. Visit the podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking for extra free content.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

For the June 2023 podcast, Paul welcomes celebrated Danish-American actor Lukas Hassel, who has forged a unique path to success in film and television. Joined by podcast co-producer Cameron Meier, they discuss Lukas's career and the challenges of performing in a second language. For more info about Lukas and extra free content, visit the podcast page indexed at https://www.paulmeier.com/in-a-manner-of-speaking/.

For the July 2024 podcast, Paul, Barrie Krenik, and Cameron Meier discuss the old Transatlantic dialect of American speech, focusing on its use both in real life and in Hollywood films. For extra free information related to this topic, visit the podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking.

On the August 2024 episode of "In a Manner of Speaking," Paul discusses dialect coaching with IDEA Associate Editor and successful dialect coach Joel Goldes. They focus on two of Goldes' many projects: "Come from Away" and "The Woman King." Visit the August 2024 podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking for more information.

Podcast regular David Crystal is back on "In a Manner of Speaking" to discuss his new website, TraceThatPlace.com, which allows users to explore the story and sound of place names on the road signs and railway stations of Britain." Visit the September 2024 podcast page at PaulMeier.com/In-a-Manner-of-Speaking for more information.

Actor, director, and voice/dialect coach Jacqueline Springfield returns to the podcast for October 2024 to discuss voices of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Paul and Jacqueline analyze snippets of 11 speeches, from Booker T. Washington in 1895 to President Barack Obama in 2016, looking at dialect, content, and style.

Linguist Karen Burgos returns to the podcast for November 2024 to discuss American and British dialects in popular song. She and Paul are joined by podcast co-producer Cameron Meier to examine dialect trends in music from the first decade of the 20th century to today.

Renowned singing and voice teachers and authors Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher return to the podcast for December 2024 to discuss Jeremy's new book, "Just How Boring Are You?" which examines how to be a better podcast guest. For more information, visit the page devoted to this episode at PaulMeier.com/In-A-Manner-Of-Speaking.

For the January 2025 , Paul and his guest, distinguished Cambridge zoologist Arik Kershenbaum, discuss, in a first for this podcast, the speech of non-humans. Why do animals "talk"? For extra free content, make sure to listen to the podcast at PaulMeier.com.