Michael Rosen on the Old English words used in daily life then and now, with Hana Videen.
Published on Thursday, 20th February 2025.
Michael talks cockney with Andy Green and Saif Osmani from the Modern Cockney Festival.
Published on Thursday, 13th February 2025.
Michael Rosen asks a linguist how he invents new languages for TV series and films.
Published on Thursday, 6th February 2025.
Professor Louise Mullany talks politeness, and how it governs every sphere of our lives.
Published on Thursday, 30th January 2025.
Jackie Kay has written a book in Scots and tells Michael about her love of the language.
Published on Thursday, 23rd January 2025.
Adam Rutherford joins Michael to unpick the knotty language we use to talk about genetics.
Published on Thursday, 16th January 2025.
Susie Dent joins Michael to talk about her lifelong fascination with words and languages.
Published on Thursday, 9th January 2025.
How language is used on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter/X.
Published on Thursday, 3rd October 2024.
Michael hears about how animals communicate, and why, from zoologist Arik Kershenbaum.
Published on Thursday, 26th September 2024.
Poet Nabeela Ahmed on being multilingual.
Published on Sunday, 22nd September 2024.
Eli Burnstein talks about fine distinctions between words.
Published on Thursday, 12th September 2024.
The Canadian former astronaut and author talks about communicating Space
Published on Thursday, 5th September 2024.
How we talk about getting older can affect how we age. Michael hears from Dr Lucy Pollock.
Published on Thursday, 29th August 2024.
Professor Julian Pine on how babies learn language.
Published on Thursday, 22nd August 2024.
Michael explores the mysterious rules of word order with linguist Dr Laura Bailey.
Published on Thursday, 13th June 2024.
In conversation with Michael Morpurgo at the Hay Festival.
Published on Thursday, 6th June 2024.
Joshua Reno talks about how Charlie, his non verbal-autistic son, communicates with him.
Published on Thursday, 30th May 2024.
What the Irish language tells us about the world
Published on Thursday, 23rd May 2024.
Professor Lucy Easthope explains why language is important in the aftermath of a disaster.
Published on Thursday, 16th May 2024.
Dominic Fifield explains how football clubs got their names.
Published on Thursday, 9th May 2024.
Michael Rosen is joined by Gillian Tett, columnist at the Financial Times.
Published on Tuesday, 20th February 2024.
Michael shares listeners' stories about words and phrases passed down through families.
Published on Tuesday, 13th February 2024.
Can speaking another language change your behaviour, your decisions, even your morals?
Published on Tuesday, 6th February 2024.
Dr Pip Thornton and Michael Rosen explore how language has become an online commodity.
Published on Tuesday, 23rd January 2024.
Michael Rosen is joined by Ruanni Tupas to discuss English from around the world.
Published on Monday, 22nd January 2024.
Lexicographer Grant Barrett on dictionaries.
Published on Wednesday, 17th January 2024.
Comedian Isy Suttie on how she writes comedy
Published on Tuesday, 9th January 2024.
Are you quoting Shakespeare without even realising?
Published on Tuesday, 22nd August 2023.
Susie Orbach talks to Michael Rosen about the use and misuse of 'therapy speak'.
Published on Tuesday, 15th August 2023.
Michael Bond talks to Michael Rosen about the ways in which fans talk to each other.
Published on Tuesday, 8th August 2023.
Michael talks to Sheela Banerjee about the family and cultural histories revealed by names
Published on Tuesday, 1st August 2023.
Audio describer Lonny Evans and trainer Terry James talk about how to describe art.
Published on Tuesday, 25th July 2023.
An insight into the world of a simultaneous interpreter.
Published on Monday, 17th July 2023.
Michael Rosen with his Yiddish language teacher Tamara Micner.
Published on Tuesday, 11th July 2023.
Professor of computational linguistics Emily M Bender chats all things bot with Michael
Published on Friday, 12th May 2023.
The Language of Fascism
Published on Tuesday, 9th May 2023.
Dr Jenni Nuttall talks to Michael about the words used by and about women.
Published on Tuesday, 2nd May 2023.
Michael Rosen talks nonsense literature and made-up words with Noreen Masud.
Published on Tuesday, 18th April 2023.
Neuropsychiatrist Anthony David talks to Michael.
Published on Tuesday, 11th April 2023.
Michael Rosen talks to Andy West who teaches philosophy in prisons
Published on Tuesday, 4th April 2023.
Richard Osman talks in depth to Michael Rosen about his broadcasting and writing lives.
Published on Tuesday, 21st February 2023.
Sanmeet Kaur has been interpreting for her parents since the age of five.
Published on Tuesday, 14th February 2023.
Karli Witkowska, the subtitler behind TV shows including Stranger Things, explains her job
Published on Tuesday, 7th February 2023.
Michael Rosen delves into the fascinating world of food and drink advertising.
Published on Tuesday, 31st January 2023.
Michael Rosen is joined by grammar fanatic Ellen Jovin.
Published on Tuesday, 24th January 2023.
Bob Stanley talks band names, from the rubbish to the brilliant.
Published on Tuesday, 17th January 2023.
Michael Rosen exclaims excitedly over exclamation marks with Florence Hazrat.
Published on Tuesday, 10th January 2023.
Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake talks to Michael about the art of conversation.
Published on Tuesday, 23rd August 2022.
Linguist Carmen Fought talks to Michael about 'like' in all its forms.
Published on Tuesday, 16th August 2022.
Michael Rosen talks to Matt Sewell about collective nouns in the animal world.
Published on Tuesday, 9th August 2022.
Michael Rosen talks to sociolinguist Louise Mullany about all the ways we say sorry.
Published on Tuesday, 2nd August 2022.
The evolving lexicon of online dating
Published on Tuesday, 26th July 2022.
The different names we call our common plants and flowers around the British Isles.
Published on Tuesday, 19th July 2022.
Michael Rosen asks William Laven about how he has learnt to celebrate his stammer.
Published on Tuesday, 12th July 2022.
Nick Enfield and Michael Rosen on language being good for lawyers but bad for scientists.
Published on Tuesday, 10th May 2022.
Nathan talks with Michael about words we use when talking about mental health.
Published on Tuesday, 3rd May 2022.
The many different ways we use to talk about the weather
Published on Tuesday, 26th April 2022.
Adoptive parent Margaret Reynolds talks about the language used around children in care
Published on Wednesday, 20th April 2022.
Dr Jamila Lyiscott describes to Michael Rosen the 3 ways in which she speaks English.
Published on Tuesday, 12th April 2022.
Michael Rosen explores how the vocabulary of sci-fi has entered everyday speech.
Published on Tuesday, 5th April 2022.
Michael Rosen talks to Lane Greene about advances in language technologies.
Published on Tuesday, 22nd February 2022.
John McWhorter, author and linguist at Columbia University, joins Michael Rosen.
Published on Tuesday, 15th February 2022.
Michael Rosen talks to Dr Gareth Carrol about the surprising origins of modern idioms.
Published on Tuesday, 8th February 2022.
Michael Rosen asks Julie Sedivy about what happens when we lose our first language.
Published on Wednesday, 2nd February 2022.
Michael Rosen talks to science communicator Dr Hannah Little.
Published on Tuesday, 25th January 2022.
Kathryn Mannix and Michael Rosen on how to talk tenderly and and listen well.
Published on Tuesday, 18th January 2022.
Michael Rosen and Professor Lynda Mugglestone explore the new language from World War I.
Published on Tuesday, 11th January 2022.
Michael Rosen gets advice from Erica Dhawan on the best ways to communicate on-screen.
Published on Tuesday, 24th August 2021.
Michael Rosen on why personal names are mistaken or misspelled, in conversation and online
Published on Tuesday, 17th August 2021.
Michael Rosen asks Devyani Sharma about the latest research into accent bias in the UK.
Published on Tuesday, 10th August 2021.
Michael Rosen and Amanda Montell on who uses it and why.
Published on Tuesday, 3rd August 2021.
Michael Rosen asks Dr Sophie Harrison about the special language used by doctors.
Published on Tuesday, 27th July 2021.
Michael Rosen is joined by David J. Peterson, language creator for Game of Thrones.
Published on Tuesday, 20th July 2021.
Michael Rosen hears why our language is a bit of a mess from linguist Arika Okrent
Published on Thursday, 15th July 2021.
Michael Rosen talks to internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch about online fandom language.
Published on Tuesday, 11th May 2021.
Michael Rosen talks to the speech and language therapist who helped him after Covid-19.
Published on Tuesday, 4th May 2021.
Michael Rosen talks to Ralph Keyes about how words and phrases are coined.
Published on Tuesday, 27th April 2021.
Dr Elisabeth Carter talks to Michael about the language used by romance fraudsters.
Published on Tuesday, 20th April 2021.
Michael Rosen and BBC presenter Ben Boulos talk changing names.
Published on Tuesday, 13th April 2021.
Michael Rosen and historian Judith Flanders talk categories and more.
Published on Tuesday, 6th April 2021.
Chloe Davis, creator of The Queen's English dictionary of LGBTQIA+ slang, talks to Michael
Published on Tuesday, 16th February 2021.
Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall, talks to Michael Rosen about her life in language.
Published on Tuesday, 9th February 2021.
Michael Rosen asks why there are so many terms related to animals in the business world.
Published on Tuesday, 2nd February 2021.
Michael talks to Alex Rawlings about being a polyglot
Published on Monday, 1st February 2021.
Adam Bradley joins Michael from Los Angeles and talks about the poetry of pop
Published on Tuesday, 26th January 2021.
Michael Rosen and Darren Chetty explore ways of disagreeing that could help to unite us.
Published on Tuesday, 12th January 2021.
Talking disability with Samantha Renke
Published on Tuesday, 5th January 2021.
Sabrina Mahfouz talks about protest slogans with Siana Bangura and Zoe Buckman.
Published on Tuesday, 25th August 2020.
Jeffrey Boakye on the language of black masculinity in a post-colonial world.
Published on Tuesday, 18th August 2020.
Professor Tanya Byron sitting in for Michael Rosen on talking to strangers.
Published on Tuesday, 11th August 2020.
Sabrina Mahfouz talks to Tobi Kyeremateng and Katherine Harloe about othering in language.
Published on Tuesday, 4th August 2020.
From hussy to bossy, spinster to slut, Professor Deborah Cameron on words used about women
Published on Tuesday, 28th July 2020.
Jeffrey Boakye talks with Iesha Small on the language of power and inequality in education
Published on Tuesday, 21st July 2020.
Professor Tanya Byron examines the language of Covid-19 with author Mark Honigsbaum.
Published on Tuesday, 14th July 2020.
Michael Rosen talks to storyteller Clare Muireann Murphy about the wonder of stories.
Published on Tuesday, 18th February 2020.
Michael talks to comedian Sindhu Vee about her life in language.
Published on Tuesday, 11th February 2020.
Michael Rosen talks to conversation analyst Elizabeth Stokoe about the science of talk.
Published on Wednesday, 5th February 2020.
Michael Rosen talks to George Marshall about how best to communicate climate change.
Michael Rosen on how the NHS chooses words on its website and in consultants' letters.
Published on Tuesday, 28th January 2020.
Michael Rosen talks to Professor Dawn Archer about how we might tell when someone is lying
Published on Tuesday, 21st January 2020.
Michael Rosen returns to explore how metaphors shape our lives with author James Geary.
Published on Tuesday, 7th January 2020.
Michael Rosen explores the origins of English in the Anglo-Saxon world.
Published on Tuesday, 27th August 2019.
Michael Rosen looks at how English is used in Science.
Published on Tuesday, 20th August 2019.
Michael Rosen meets London-born writer Gabriel Gbadamosi, to talk Dickens and dialect.
Published on Tuesday, 13th August 2019.
Michael Rosen looks at philosophy in English, from John Locke to corporate slogans.
Published on Tuesday, 6th August 2019.
Michael Rosen discovers how the Vikings changed English.
Published on Tuesday, 30th July 2019.
Michael Rosen explores the sound and rhythm of English with poet Glyn Maxwell.
Published on Tuesday, 23rd July 2019.
Michael Rosen explores the strange history of 'The', the most influential word in English.
Published on Wednesday, 17th July 2019.
What was the earliest language and how did it evolve? Michael Rosen investigates.
Published on Tuesday, 16th July 2019.
Michael Rosen meets acclaimed poet Raymond Antrobus.
Damian Le Bas talks to Michael Rosen about the Romani language.
Published on Tuesday, 14th May 2019.
Michael Rosen explores the visual language of comics, with comics theorist Neil Cohn.
Published on Tuesday, 7th May 2019.
Jeffrey Boakye talks to Michael Rosen about exploring black identity through language.
Published on Tuesday, 30th April 2019.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright look into the weird and wonderful world of biscuit names.
Published on Tuesday, 23rd April 2019.
Michael Rosen talks to the authors of The Talking Revolution about improving our dialogue.
Published on Tuesday, 19th February 2019.
Michael Rosen talks in depth about dyslexia with expert Professor Maggie Snowling.
Published on Tuesday, 12th February 2019.
Michael Rosen and guests explore the origins of the UK's town and village names.
Published on Tuesday, 5th February 2019.
John Olsson talks to Michael Rosen about how he uses authorship analysis to solve murders.
Published on Tuesday, 29th January 2019.
Family law barrister Lucy Reed talks to Michael Rosen about the language of the courtroom.
Published on Tuesday, 22nd January 2019.
Michael Rosen talks to comedian Elis James about how to make language funny.
Published on Tuesday, 15th January 2019.
Michael Rosen talks to academic Colin MacCabe about Raymond Williams' book Keywords.
Published on Tuesday, 23rd October 2018.
Michael Rosen finds out how best to communicate with people with dementia.
Published on Tuesday, 16th October 2018.
Michael Rosen discusses slogan T-shirts with Amber Butchart and Caryn Franklin.
Published on Tuesday, 9th October 2018.
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright talk Multicultural London English with Ismail Einashe.
Published on Tuesday, 2nd October 2018.
Economist Johnson language columnist Lane Greene talks to Michael Rosen and Laura Wright.
Published on Tuesday, 25th September 2018.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright talk to Rob Eastaway about imperial and metric measurements
Published on Tuesday, 18th September 2018.
Stephen Fry talks to presenter Michael Rosen about their mutual obsession with language.
Published on Tuesday, 11th September 2018.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright look at the history behind and wordplay used in shop names.
Published on Tuesday, 22nd May 2018.
Michael Rosen talks to the Samaritans about how language can help people in crisis.
Published on Tuesday, 15th May 2018.
Sally Bayley talks to Michael Rosen about how words came to her rescue during childhood.
Published on Tuesday, 8th May 2018.
Michael is joined by Tom Hewitson, conversation designer for the likes of Siri and Alexa.
Published on Tuesday, 1st May 2018.
Michael Rosen talks to Tiffany Watt Smith about the words we use to describe our emotions.
Published on Tuesday, 24th April 2018.
How do fonts change the meaning of a message? Michael Rosen is joined by Sarah Hyndman.
Published on Tuesday, 17th April 2018.
Michael Rosen asks if we are living through a crisis of language in public debate.
Published on Tuesday, 10th April 2018.
Michael Rosen is joined by Paul Anthony Jones of popular etymology blog Haggard Hawks.
Published on Tuesday, 20th February 2018.
Michael Rosen talks language and gender identity with CN Lester, author of Trans Like Me.
Published on Tuesday, 13th February 2018.
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright explore how diseases are named.
Published on Monday, 12th February 2018.
Best wishes or kind regards? What is the new etiquette for written communication?
Published on Wednesday, 31st January 2018.
Vocal coaches Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher give Michael Rosen a thorough workout.
Published on Tuesday, 23rd January 2018.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright start a new series with hellos and greetings.
Published on Tuesday, 16th January 2018.
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright explain how pubs got their names.
Published on Tuesday, 24th October 2017.
Michael Rosen talks to Steve Jones about language and our genes.
Published on Wednesday, 18th October 2017.
Michael Rosen finds out what can be learnt about communication from people with autism.
Published on Tuesday, 10th October 2017.
Robert Macfarlane tells Michael Rosen about his 'word-hoard' of endangered nature words.
Lifelong Arsenal supporter Michael Rosen talks football cliches with Adam Hurrey.
Published on Monday, 2nd October 2017.
Malorie Blackman, author of Noughts and Crosses, talks in depth to Michael Rosen.
Published on Tuesday, 19th September 2017.
Michael Rosen asks Andi Oliver and Niki Segnit how they describe the flavours of food.
Published on Tuesday, 12th September 2017.
David Walliams talks to Michael Rosen about writing children's books.
Published on Tuesday, 23rd May 2017.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright find out how video games influence language.
Published on Tuesday, 16th May 2017.
Michael Rosen answers listeners' language queries from the Word of Mouth inbox and postbag
Published on Tuesday, 9th May 2017.
Michael Rosen asks George Lakoff about the new political words coming out of the US now.
Published on Tuesday, 2nd May 2017.
Tracy Beaker author Jacqueline Wilson talks to Michael Rosen about her love of language.
Published on Tuesday, 25th April 2017.
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright find out how countries got their names.
Published on Tuesday, 18th April 2017.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright find out how much of English comes from French roots.
Published on Tuesday, 11th April 2017.
Michael Rosen on the Americanisation of English, with Lynne Murphy and Matthew Engel.
Published on Tuesday, 28th February 2017.
Is emoji really the world's fastest-growing language? Michael Rosen finds out.
Published on Tuesday, 21st February 2017.
Michael Rosen explores the tunes we sing when we are speaking, without even realising it.
Published on Tuesday, 14th February 2017.
Michael Rosen on the language we use to talk about animals - and the names we give dogs.
Published on Tuesday, 7th February 2017.
Michael Rosen discusses interesting family words and phrases with listeners in Birmingham.
Published on Tuesday, 31st January 2017.
Michael Rosen talks to Countdown's Susie Dent about her love of words and language.
Published on Tuesday, 18th October 2016.
BBC LovetoRead campaign: Michael Rosen on the pleasure of and the science behind reading.
Published on Tuesday, 11th October 2016.
Michael Rosen on the creative use and misuse of language by children.
Published on Tuesday, 4th October 2016.
Michael Rosen talks to psychotherapist Philippa Perry about the importance of small talk.
Published on Tuesday, 27th September 2016.
Michael Rosen uncovers how people talk and think about directions in different languages.
Published on Tuesday, 20th September 2016.
Michael Rosen on discovering lost words and finding hidden linguistic connections.
Published on Tuesday, 13th September 2016.
The language of making and breaking relationships.
Published on Tuesday, 6th September 2016.
Michael Rosen talks to Keith Houston about punctuation symbols and how they came to exist.
Published on Tuesday, 24th May 2016.
Michael Rosen and Andrew Graham-Dixon on the naming of art movements and what it tells us.
Published on Tuesday, 17th May 2016.
Michael Rosen explores the verbs that are called irregular, and how they came to be.
Published on Tuesday, 10th May 2016.
Michael Rosen on a new Roald Dahl dictionary collecting the amazing words he invented.
Published on Tuesday, 3rd May 2016.
Michael Rosen on the words used in PR that have been rated as the most annoying. Iconic...
Published on Tuesday, 26th April 2016.
Michael Rosen on how we talk about historical eras in order to define how we live now.
Published on Tuesday, 19th April 2016.
Michael Rosen talks to Dr Laura Wright about her new research on popular house names.
Published on Tuesday, 12th April 2016.
Steven Pinker joins Michael Rosen to talk about his love of, and life in, language.
Published on Tuesday, 5th April 2016.
Michael Rosen on one of the most frustrating language states: tip of the tongue.
Published on Tuesday, 1st March 2016.
Michael Rosen on research into the emotional effects of different kinds of communication.
Published on Tuesday, 23rd February 2016.
Michael Rosen hears about a project to turn interviews recorded in Parliament into songs.
Published on Tuesday, 16th February 2016.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright discuss how we take it in turns to talk, in conversation.
Published on Tuesday, 9th February 2016.
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright guide listeners through the 20 most commonly used words.
Published on Tuesday, 2nd February 2016.
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright discover how Shakespeare spoke.
Published on Tuesday, 26th January 2016.
What is slang? Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright thrash it out with Jonathon Green.
Published on Tuesday, 19th January 2016.
Neuroscientist Dr Frederique Liegeois joins Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright.
Published on Tuesday, 27th October 2015.
Michael Rosen explores the wonderful Latin names used to describe animals and plants.
Published on Tuesday, 20th October 2015.
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright take us through the A-Z of the alphabet.
Published on Tuesday, 13th October 2015.
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright look into how new commercial brand names are invented.
Published on Monday, 12th October 2015.
Michael Rosen and Professor John Mullan talk romance, Romantic poets and romanticism.
Published on Tuesday, 29th September 2015.
Michael Rosen examines the differences between reading print books and reading eBooks.
Published on Tuesday, 22nd September 2015.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright look at how numbers are understood - and misunderstood.
Published on Monday, 21st September 2015.
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright discuss non-verbal communication with Prof Steven Connor.
Published on Tuesday, 26th May 2015.
