Michael Rosen on the necessary evil of journalistic cliché. Read more
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Journalese
Michael Rosen on the necessary evil of journalistic cliché.
Social Register
Do we change the way we speak according to the person we are speaking to?
Scots
Michael Rosen goes to Glasgow to hear about the Scots language with Sanjeev Kohli.
Time
Michael Rosen asks what time is and explores the words we use to talk about it.
Words That Wound
Words can be abusive, cruel and cause offence. Which is worse: online or face-to-face?
Reader, I Marinated Him - the language of food
Michael Rosen and guests debate the language of food, from Oliver's 'more' to cannibalism.
Weighing Your Words
Chris Ledgard investigates three situations where precise use of words is crucial.
Message in a Bottle
Chris Ledgard uncorks the subject of messages in a bottle.
Newspeak
Chris Ledgard explores Orwell's dystopian vision of the future of language - Newspeak.
How the Telephone Rewired Us
Chris Ledgard explores the impact of the telephone.
The Online Me
Are we different online than in real life? Gemma Cairney asks Nick Grimshaw and friends.
Talking About Cancer
The writer Graham Joyce with a personal take on the ways in which we talk about cancer.
Is the Double Entendre in Rude Health?
Arthur Bostrom examines the origins, colourful history and new era of the double entendre.
Speaking, Listening and the English GCSE
Chris Ledgard host a discussion on speaking and listening skills and the English GCSE.
First Words: How do children develop language?
Michael Rosen on the first sounds and words that babies learn.
Ebola: How should we talk about it?
Michael Rosen talks to Oxfam's media officer on how we should speak about Ebola.
Why do we laugh?
Michael Rosen finds out why we laugh and why we cry, with neuroscientist Sophie Scott.
How Is English Going to Change in the future?
Michael Rosen looks ahead, with the help of linguists Bas Aarts and Laura Wright.
Philip Pullman and Michael Rosen talk about language and writing
Philip Pullman and Michael Rosen talk in depth about language and writing.
Are you really Somali? Using language to determine country of origin
Michael Rosen on the use of language analysis to judge asylum seekers' country of origin.
Prof Tanya Byron on the language parents use to talk to their children
Tanya Byron and Michael Rosen discuss the language parents use to talk to their children.
Landscape Language
Michael Rosen on the evocative words used to describe features of the British landscape.
The Pedant
What is a pedant, and where does pedantry come from? Michael Rosen talks to Oliver Kamm.
A Language Without Words
Michael Rosen asks Julian Barratt and Steve Oram about creating a language without words.
Naming Family Relationships - Step, Half or 'Blended'?
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright look at the names people give to family relationships.
Colour Words
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright on colour words, how they vary and how they have changed.
Young Women as Linguistic Innovators
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright discuss the role of young women in language innovation.
Food Connections Festival
Michael Rosen and guests perform poems, songs and stories about food.
Non-Verbal Communication
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright discuss non-verbal communication with Prof Steven Connor.
Number Words
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright look at how numbers are understood - and misunderstood.
Reading: Print v eBooks
Michael Rosen examines the differences between reading print books and reading eBooks.