A Word in Your Ear
Emeritus Professor Roly Sussex from the University of Queensland discusses the wonderful and odd aspects of English and many other languages.
ABC
Show overview
A Word in Your Ear has been publishing since 2019, and across the 6 years since has built a catalogue of 248 episodes. That works out to roughly 100 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 22 min and 27 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Society & Culture show.
There hasn’t been a new episode in the last ninety days; the most recent episode landed 5 months ago. Published by ABC.
From the publisher
Emeritus Professor Roly Sussex from the University of Queensland discusses the wonderful and odd aspects of English and many other languages.
Latest Episodes
View all 248 episodesA Word in Your Ear: Christmas Language
Professor Roly Sussex explains the phrases of the festive season.
A Word in Your Ear: Politeness
What does it mean to be polite, and has that changed in recent years?
A Word in Your Ear: Pronunciations
Professor Roly Sussex clarifies some common pronunciation problems and why different places have differing ways of saying the same thing.
A Word in Your Ear: Neologisms
Everyone loves a fresh turn of phrase, a new saying or an untested expression. These newly coined phrases are called neologisms.
A Word in Your Ear: Broken Rules
It might shock you, but Professor Roly Sussex says some language rules are made to be broken.
A Word in Your Ear: CB Radio Slang
From "10-4" to "hammer down", Professor Roly Sussex unlocks the secret language of the roads.
A Word in Your Ear: French Influences
Professor Roly Sussex takes us on a journey through history and language to explore France's lasting influence on the English vocabulary.
A Word in Your Ear: Words of the Kitchen
Have you ever thought about why we call the objects in our kitchen whatever we call them?
A Word in Your Ear: Female Phrasing
Professor Roly Sussex unpacks the different ways women communicate, and how these contrasts emerged.
A Word in Your Ear: Analysing the Alphabet
Professor Roly Sussex discusses the origins and uses of our 26 letters, and explains why we don't use a phonetic alphabet.
A Word in Your Ear: Languages of Papua New Guinea
Professor Roly Sussex is joined by ABC Radio Australia presenter Michael Chow, who speaks two and a half Papua New Guinean languages.
A Word in Your Ear: The Language of Advertising
Professor Roly Sussex unpacks the language of some of the most successful adverts and why they have stood the test of time.
A Word in Your Ear: Hedging
Do you call a spade a spade, or do you prefer to be a bit more gentle with the things you say? Professor Roly Sussex explores the use of hedging and why it's so common in the English language.
A Word in Your Ear: Insults of Yesteryear
Professor Roly Sussex explores how new insults have emerged and why some have disappeared from our vocabulary.
A Word in Your Ear: Food Phrases
Food isn't just something we eat, it's something we speak. Professor Roly Sussex takes a bite out of the language of food, exploring the different flavour of phrases across cultures.
A Word in Your Ear: Diminutives and Nicknames
Arvo, brekkie, sunnies, mozzie, servo...the list goes on. Professor Roly Sussex explains why us Aussies shorten our words more than anyone else.
A Word in Your Ear: Slang
Young people have always reshaped the way we speak, reinventing new lingo to distinguish themselves.Professor Roly Sussex unpacks how slang has evolved through the last few decades.
A Word in Your Ear: Open Slather
The English language has developed various regional and social norms that continue to cause confusion. Professor Roly Sussex addresses some of your most pressing English language questions.
A Word in Your Ear: The Language of Computers
The rise of computer technology forced the English language to adapt, and fast!But where did these words come from and how did they take root in our everyday language?
A Word in Your Ear: Successful Languages
What makes a language successful? Professor Roly Sussex discusses why some languages rise while others fade.