In a Manner of Speaking

Episode 94 (Talking to E.T.s)

For the October 2026 podcast, Paul and his guest, Cambridge zoologist Arik Kershenbaum, discuss potential communication between humans and extraterrestrials, and how Eart

Episode 93 (English: Colloquial and Vernacular)

The September 2026 episode of Paul's "In a Manner of Speaking" podcast explores colloquial and vernacular speech. For extra free content, listen to the podcast at PaulMei

Episode 92 (Text to Speech)

For the August 2026 episode, Paul explores text to speech -- but NOT just the AI type. Instead, this episode explores the ancient art of turning the written into the spok

Episode 91 (The Case of the Mysterious Yod)

The podcast is back! After a 12-month hiatus, Paul returns to "In a Manner of Speaking" for episode 91 (July 2026). In this episode, he discusses yod, the linguistic term

Episode 90 (A Retrospective: 2018-2025)

Join Paul Meier and his past guests for this retrospective of the first eight years of the podcast. Paul will be taking a hiatus and plans to return in 2026, so, for this

Episode 89 (Voice Coaching, Sound Design, and Amplification in the Theatre)

For the June 2025 episode, Paul and his guest, voice/dialect coach and IDEA Senior Editor Sarah Nichols, discuss the relationship, or lack thereof, between voice coaches

Episode 88 (AI and the Human Voice)

The May 2025 episode tackles artificial intelligence, or AI. Paul's guests are speech-to-text specialist Michael McAuliffe and dialect coach Tanera Marshall, who worked o

Episode 87 (Rhoticity: Watch Your R's)

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 Paul

Episode 86 (How Playwrights Hear Their Characters’ Voices)

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

Episode 85 (The World of Puppets)

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, accompli

Episode 84 ("Why Animals Talk")

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 anim

Episode 83 (“Just How Boring Are You?” Be a Better Podcast Guest)

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 A

Episode 82 (American and British Dialects in Popular Song)

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 Ca

Episode 81 (Voices of the Civil Rights Movement)

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 State

Episode 80 (Trace That Place)

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 pl

Episode 79 (Come from Away)

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 o

Episode 78 (Transatlantic and Old Movie Dialects)

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 H

Episode 77 (A Unique Path to Film and TV Success)

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

Episode 76 (African-American English)

The May 2024 episode focuses on African-American English, which Paul discusses with American Dialect Society President Patricia Cukor-Avila. Paul and Patricia principally

Episode 75 (Loudmouths and the Sound of Silence)

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 volu