Word of Mouth
Series exploring the world of words and the ways in which we use them
On radio
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Last on
Susie Dent on Language
Mon 24 Oct 2016 23:00
BBC Radio 4
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Seven ways to make your small talk big
Transform your small talk from bland cliché to earth-shattering rhetoric.
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I am not a number!
The weird and wonderful world of naming houses.
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How to speak like Shakespeare?
Get the bard in your corner with this video guide.
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How did Shakespeare speak?
Ben Crystal reads Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 in Original Pronunciation.
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How to read the Cockney alphabet
Michael Rosen reads through the Cockney alphabet, from A for 'orses to Z for his hat.
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Philip Pullman on 'His Dark Materials'
Philip Pullman reveals why he chose the name, Lyra.
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Bags stuck in a tree? No, they're witches' knickers!
Michael Rosen on the evocative words used to describe features of the British landscape.
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What is bad language?
Lexicographer of slang and swearing Jonathon Green talks about where slang comes from.
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How did x come to mean kiss?
Do you sign off your messages with x? Ever wondered where this behaviour comes from?
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Why did humans learn to speak but not animals?
How come humans learn to speak while other animals don't?
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Brand name disasters
Anyone for some ISIS Belgian chocolate?
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How to count one to ten in old English
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright explore the numbers one to ten
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Do you have the authority to name a plant?
River Cottage forager John Wright talks Latin naming conventions with Dr Laura Wright.
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Who would win in a fight - print or eBooks?
Professor Naomi Baron joins Word of Mouth to discuss the future of reading
The funny words that kids invent
Have a look at some of the fantastic words that children invent and reimagine.
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