A Word in Your Ear

Professor Roly Sussex explains the phrases of the festive season.

What does it mean to be polite, and has that changed in recent years?

Professor Roly Sussex clarifies some common pronunciation problems and why different places have differing ways of saying the same thing.

Everyone loves a fresh turn of phrase, a new saying or an untested expression. These newly coined phrases are called neologisms.

It might shock you, but Professor Roly Sussex says some language rules are made to be broken.

From "10-4" to "hammer down", Professor Roly Sussex unlocks the secret language of the roads.

Professor Roly Sussex takes us on a journey through history and language to explore France's lasting influence on the English vocabulary.

Have you ever thought about why we call the objects in our kitchen whatever we call them?

Professor Roly Sussex unpacks the different ways women communicate, and how these contrasts emerged.

Professor Roly Sussex discusses the origins and uses of our 26 letters, and explains why we don't use a phonetic alphabet.

Professor Roly Sussex is joined by ABC Radio Australia presenter Michael Chow, who speaks two and a half Papua New Guinean languages.

Professor Roly Sussex unpacks the language of some of the most successful adverts and why they have stood the test of time.

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.

Professor Roly Sussex explores how new insults have emerged and why some have disappeared from our vocabulary.

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.

Arvo, brekkie, sunnies, mozzie, servo...the list goes on. Professor Roly Sussex explains why us Aussies shorten our words more than anyone else.

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.

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.

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?

What makes a language successful? Professor Roly Sussex discusses why some languages rise while others fade.

As the English language has evolved, various pronunciations, norms, and mistakes have formed. Professor Roly Sussex takes us through some of the most common examples.

Grab a cuppa and gear up for a chinwag. Professor Roly Sussex has a yarn to explain great Aussie phrases.

When you "dust" something, are you removing the dust or adding it?Professor Roly Sussex unravels the double meanings of contronyms.

Have you got a grammar gripe? Frustrated by a phrase? Professor Roly Sussex tackles your language queries.

Ever wondered how your favourite footy teams got their names? Professor Roly Sussex tackles the phrases of footy.

Did you know that 70% of the world's languages use alphabets similar to English? Professor Roly Sussex breaks down the building blocks of the English language: the alphabet.

If you make your kids cringe with dad jokes, this episode's for you! Professor Roly Sussex discusses the power of puns, and why language lovers keep the tradition alive.

Whether you're rolling in it or down to your last cent, the words we use for money are rich with meaning. So this week, Professor Roly Sussex takes us through the dialect of the dollar.

"Hows the weather going?" "What have you been up to?"Small talk takes up a huge chunk of our daily conversation, but what role does it serve? Professor Roly Sussex explains the social purposes and expectations behind small talk.

The death of Pope Francis has set off a linguistic wave as words once reserved for church halls are now hitting the headlines. Professor Roly Sussex will guide you through the ancient language that's making a comeback.

Phrasal verbs are verbs with more than one word like 'wake up' and 'look forward to'. There are thousands of them in English and they can be quite tricky but once you notice these phrasal verbs, you'll pick them up all the time. "Turn off the TV" is an example of a phrasal verb, which is a verb that has a base verb and one or two particles.

What is the history of birthdays?These days, people celebrate with cake, candles, balloons and gifts! However, after years of celebrating with these items, they almost become afterthoughts. But how did these forms of celebrations arise?

English is Australia's de facto national language and like many nations, us Aussie's have put our own spin on it. Many Australians are even surprised to find out that different regions or states tend to have their own unique dialects.

Nothing gets our gold and green nation going like a good game of sport and in particular footy! Where it's League, Rugby or AFL - our passion runs deep. In fact, Australia has one of the highest sports participation rates in the entire world.

Australia is the most Irish country in the world outside Ireland.Irish-born immigrants and their descendants have been a feature of the Australian population since the arrival of the First Fleet in New South Wales in 1788.You may assume America would be in the running for that title - they have 30 million people claiming Irish heritage.

Have you ever heard weather phrases such as 'the wet', 'rain bomb' or 'mizzle' and wonder where they came from or what they actually mean? Roly Sussex takes us on a journey through weather event terminology.

Often times Australians will initially adopt Americanisms ironically but after a while the irony disappears and those words and phrases become part of our everyday language.

Whether you're meeting someone for the first time or you see them every day, the way we greet and farewell someone can say a lot about your culture, manners and familiarity to the other person.

It's an age old question: 'Haitch' or 'Aitch'? What do the differences in how we pronounce words say about us?

Now that the festive season is done, its time to pack up the decorations, put away leftover wrapping paper and store this year's Christmas cards.

Roly Sussex explores the origins of giving, and words like philanthropy, donations and charity.

What's the difference between Qantas and the ATO? Roly Sussex will take you into the strange world of acronyms and initialisms.

Americanisms have had such an impact on our language that ABC's Roly Sussex has recorded over 10,000 of them.

Boo! From witches to wicca, Roly Sussex peeks behind the curtain of words like ghosts, spectres, Halloween and haunts.

With US elections on the horizon, Roly Sussex investigates the language of democracy.

It's the delicious language of Italy on the menu tonight.

Are you feeling tip-top, hoity-toity or namby-pamby today? Roly investigates the curiosities of echo phrases.

Do dogs go "whoof, whoof", "ruff, ruff" or "wan, wan"? Roly Sussex explores the origins of onomatopoeia.

What's the Aussie origins of the slang, jargon and banter of our nation's greatest footy code?

A "blessing in disguise" or a "blessing in the skies"? Roly Sussex dives into the elusive mondegreen.