Thank you, Love Your Shorts Film Festival, for a fun weekend. The fest was held February 13-16 in Sanford, Florida, and for the second year in a row Paul Meier Dialect Services and the International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA) were sponsors. And PMDS Vice President Cameron Meier was in attendance to discuss accents and dialects.
Author: Cameron Meier
Welcome puppets to the podcast!
The February 2025 episode of In a Manner of Speaking is the first to feature the voices of inanimate objects, specifically puppets. But they can be just as animated as humans, as podcast guest Spencer Lott proves.
Paul and Spencer discuss the art of puppetry and dive into what it takes to voice them. Go here to listen — and watch, as this month’s episode is our first vodcast!
Listen to the animals
For the January 2025 episode of his In a Manner of Speaking podcast, Paul temporarily takes off his Henry Higgins hat and puts on his Doctor Dolittle cap. That’s because this month’s episode is the first to tackle non-human speakers.
Paul’s guest is distinguished Cambridge zoologist Arik Kershenbaum. Go here to listen, or find it on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Get in the holiday ‘spirit’
What better way to get in the holiday spirit than by listening to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. And don’t forget that Paul’s reading of the entire first edition is free to stream through January 3. Just go here.
And if you’re still looking for a holiday gift for the actor in your life (or yourself), don’t miss our holiday sale on Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen, which continues through January 3. Go here for details.
Are you a good podcast guest?
With podcasts all the rage in recent years, you might be asking yourself whether you’d make a good podcast guest. Or if you frequently appear on podcasts, perhaps you’d like to improve your performance? That’s the focus of voice and singing coach Jeremy Fisher’s new book, Just How Boring Are You?
It’s also the focus of Paul’s latest episode of In a Manner of Speaking, during which he interviews Jeremy and his wife and co-founder of Vocal Process Gillyanne Kayes. Listen to the episode here, or find it on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Holiday sale and free Christmas gift!
Looking for a great gift for an actor this holiday season? Or looking to save money while improving your own dialect and accent skills? My book, Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen, makes the perfect stocking-stuffer for the actor in your life! He or she will love mastering its 27 accents and dialects, using the book’s fun exercises and accompanying sound files.
And to make it more affordable, from now until January 3, I’m offering $10 off on both the Deluxe Streaming print edition AND the iTunes ebook (Apple Book) version. That’s just US$69.95 (or US$69.99 on iTunes) instead of the usual US$79.95.
The Deluxe Streaming edition is a printed book with the sound files available via streaming audio from any internet-connected mobile device or computer. It’s available for this discounted price on this site (select Deluxe book w/streaming audio) until January 3. (The iTunes ebook must be purchased directly on iTunes by the account holder who wishes to use the ebook, but what a great inspiration for an iTunes gift card!) The original CD version of my book is still available for its usual price of $99.95 but does not contain Jamaican, Estuary, or Birmingham.
Please note that the discount is not available on Amazon. However, if you are outside the United States, you might find it cheaper to order the book through your own country’s Amazon, such as Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.ca.
And now … my gift to you: my audiobook reading of Charles Dickens’ beloved A Christmas Carol. Just click the link to start listening absolutely free. (The link will expire January 3.)
As 2024 draws to a close, may your holidays bring peace and joy to you and all your family.
Name that tune (and dialect)
Have you ever noticed that singers’ dialects don’t necessarily match their speaking voices? Or that sometimes the singers use dialects and accents to either make a cultural statement or simply embrace their own regional dialects of English?
Linguist Karen Burgos returns to the podcast for the November 2024 episode to discuss this very topic: American and British dialects in popular song. She and Paul are joined by podcast co-producer and frequent guest Cameron Meier.
They play clips from songs ranging from the first decade of the 20th century to today, analyzing the singers’ dialects. In many instances, singers’ dialects don’t match their speaking voices, while, at other times, the singers use dialect to either make a cultural statement or embrace their own regional dialects.
Go here to listen, or find it on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Listen to voices of the Civil Rights Movement
The voices of the American Civil Rights Movement are the focus of this month’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast. Actor, director, voice/dialect coach, and IDEA Associate Editor Jacqueline Springfield returns to the podcast to discuss and analyze 11 speeches, ranging from Booker T. Washington in 1895 to President Barack Obama in 2017. Paul and Jacqueline look at dialect, content, style, and historical context.
Go here to listen.
What’s in a (place) name?
Happy Labor Day weekend to those of you in the United States. Speaking of labor, few people work harder than legendary linguist David Crystal, who has just completed three years’ work on his new website, TraceThatPlace.com. The site allows users to explore “the story and sound of place names on the road signs and railway stations of Britain.”
David joins Paul on this month’s episode of the In a Manner of Speaking podcast to discuss the site and the history of place names in Great Britain. Go here to listen.
Welcome Joel Goldes to the podcast
Please welcome renowned dialect coach and IDEA Associate Editor Joel Goldes to Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast. Joel and Paul discuss dialect coaching, specifically two of Joel’s most prominent projects: Come from Away and The Woman King.
Go here to listen, or find the podcast on your favorite podcast channel of index.
Explore the old Transatlantic dialect
Have you ever wondered where that old movie sound came from? You know the one: when actors sound not quite British but not quite American.
Wonder no more, as Paul explores the Transatlantic dialect on this month’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast. Paul’s guest is Barrie Kreinik (actor, singer, writer, dialect coach, audiobook narrator and IDEA editor), who has recently released The Queen of Fourteenth Street, an audiobook celebrating the life of actress Eva Le Gallienne, who spoke with a Transatlantic sound. Paul and Barrie are joined by podcast co-producer and film critic and historian Cameron Meier. Go here to listen.
Welcome Lukas Hassel to the podcast
Paul welcomes celebrated Danish-American actor, writer, and director Lukas Hassel to his In a Manner of Speaking podcast this month. Go here to listen, or find the episode on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Paul and Lukas are joined by film critic and co-producer of this podcast, Cameron Meier. The three discuss Lukas’s career, life on the film festival circuit, and the challenges of acting in a second language. Accent modification or “reduction” is central to this discussion.
Zoom masterclasses begin June 1
Paul’s new series of Zoom masterclasses begin on Saturday, June 1. As of the date of this post, there are still a couple of spots left, so act now if you want to participate! Topics for the June courses are “Received Pronunciation, Cockney, Estuary, and Transatlantic” and “Acting in a Foreign-Language Accent.”
For more information, visit the masterclasses page.
Windows ebook technical problems
We are currently experiencing technical problems with the download/registration process of our Windows dialect/accent ebooks. These are the popular LiveCode-format ebooks that we sell on this site. If you have already bought and registered your ebook, this problem does not affect you. The problem exists only when you try to download and register your newly purchased ebook.
We apologize for this inconvenience and are working to fix it. Until the problem is fixed, please e-mail paul@paulmeier.com if you are interested in purchasing a Windows (LiveCode) ebook. If you just purchased an ebook and are having trouble downloading and registering it, e-mail Paul and he will guide you through the process.
Please keep in mind that the purchase process for all our other products is working fine. And our iTunes ebooks (Apple Books) are unaffected by this temporary glitch.
African-American voices, through time
Join Paul and his podcast guest, Patricia Cukor-Avila, this month on In a Manner of Speaking for a fascinating conversation about historical African-American English. Paul and Patricia, president of the American Dialect Society and professor of linguistics at North Texas University, discuss Black American dialects from Colonial times to early 20th century. Go here to listen.
Masterclasses announced!
You voted, and Paul listened! Based upon your feedback, the topics for Paul’s June/July series of Zoom masterclasses have just been announced. Go here to discover the topics and learn how to register.
New masterclasses: You pick the topic!
After a two-year hiatus, Paul’s Zoom masterclasses are back! They are scheduled for June and July of this year. And the best part is: You get to help select the topic! Possible subjects are:
- The Art of Voice-Over
- Received Pronunciation (RP), Cockney, Estuary, and Transatlantic
- Audiobook Narration
- Secrets of Great Shakespeare Performance
- Shakespeare’s Original Pronunciation
- Dialects of the British Isles and Ireland
- Acting in Foreign-Language Accents
- Working with Accent-Modification Clients
- IPA Proficiency and Standard Lexical Sets
Just e-mail Paul at paul@paulmeier.com and tell him which topic you prefer. (You can pick more than one.)
For information on the dates, prices, and more, visit the masterclass page.
Loud and proud
Ever wonder how loud a person can get? It was that wondering that inspired this month’s episode of Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking episode. Go here to listen, or find the podcast on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Paul explores loudness, or the lack thereof. Just as he examined extremes of the human voice’s pitch and speed in past episodes, Paul discusses the extremes of volume, specifically looking at world records for loudness while reflecting on the rarity of true silence.
Image (iStock-174789753) courtesy of SKrow.
Good folk (linguistics)
Folk linguistics is the topic of the March edition of Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast. And Paul’s guest is dialectologist Dennis Preston. Go here to listen, or find the podcast on your favorite podcast channel or index.
We love our shorts!
Paul Meier Dialect Services and the International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA) are proud to sponsor this year’s Love Your Shorts Film Festival in Sanford, Florida. Go here for more information about the 14th annual festival.
PMDS Vice President and IDEA Executive Editor Cameron Meier was at the festival on Thursday evening for Education Day, meeting filmmakers and discussing accents and dialects. Thanks to everyone at Love Your Shorts for making this possible!
Celebrating the American Dialect Society
This month’s episode of Paul’s podcast, In a Manner of Speaking, celebrates the American Dialect Society. Paul’s guest is Betsy Evans, the new executive director of the ADS. Listen to it here, or on your favorite podcast channel.
What’s the word?
That’s the question Paul and his podcast guest Victor Boucher are asking on the latest episode of In a Manner of Speaking. Check it out here.
No spaces between words? Reading aloud?
Did you know that reading aloud was once more common that reading silently? And it was more common than not to see NO spaces between words in written text?
In the final In a Manner of Speaking episode of 2023, Paul dives into this topic with Paul Saenger, curator of rare books, emeritus, at Chicago’s Newbury Library and author of Space Between Words: The Origins of Silent Reading.
Go here to listen to the podcast episode, or find it on your favorite podcast channel of index.
Holiday discount and free Christmas gift!
Looking for a great gift for an actor this holiday season? Or looking to save money while improving your own dialect and accent skills? My book, Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen, makes the perfect stocking-stuffer for the actor in your life! He or she will love mastering its 27 accents and dialects, using the book’s fun exercises and accompanying sound files.
And to make it more affordable, from now until January 5, I’m offering $10 off on both the Deluxe Streaming print edition AND the iTunes ebook (Apple Book) version. That’s just US$69.95 (or US$69.99 on iTunes) instead of the usual US$79.95.
The Deluxe Streaming edition is a printed book with the sound files available via streaming audio from any internet-connected mobile device or computer. It’s available for this discounted price on this site (select Deluxe book w/streaming audio) until January 5. (The iTunes ebook must be purchased directly on iTunes by the account holder who wishes to use the ebook, but what a great inspiration for an iTunes gift card!) The original CD version of my book is still available for its usual price of $99.95 but does not contain Jamaican, Estuary, or Birmingham.
Please note that the discount is not available on Amazon. However, if you are outside the United States, you might find it cheaper to order the book through your own country’s Amazon, such as Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.ca.
And now … my gift to you: my audiobook reading of Charles Dickens’ beloved A Christmas Carol. Just click the link to start listening absolutely free. (The link will expire January 5.)
As 2023 draws to a close, may your holidays bring peace and joy to you and all your family.
What did Colonial America sound like?
What did Americans sound like in the 1700s? Find out on this month’s episode of Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast. Paul discusses the topic with Karen Burgos, a freelance linguist, independent researcher, and founder of Ace Linguist, a truly valuable blog. Go here to listen.
Orality and literacy
Join Paul and his guest on this month’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast, Professor Brian Ott, as they discuss the connection between orality and literacy, in addition to rhetoric and the oral tradition throughout human history. Go here to listen.
Linguistic time travel
For the September episode of his In a Manner of Speaking podcast, Paul travels through time with renowned linguist David Crystal. Paul and David discuss the history and development of the English language from Roman times to the spread of Modern English around the globe. Go here to listen.
Discover harmonic overtone chanting
It’s an admittedly different topic for Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast, but variety is the spice of life, and podcasts! So this month, Paul discusses harmonic overtone chanting with Jill Purce, possibly the foremost expert on the topic. Check it out here.
Textbook season is here
If you are teaching a dialect course during this coming semester, Paul’s Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen, Deluxe Streaming Edition, is your perfect textbook!
Less expensive than the older CD version and containing three additional dialects (a total of 27), the Deluxe Streaming Edition has been the top textbook for the last two years. (It’s still a printed book, just with the sound delivered via streaming audio.) Preview it quickly here, or more fully in a new 13-minute video. It’s also available as an iTunes ebook (Apple Book).
Want a free instructor’s copy? Get one with your order of five or more copies, plus a 15% academic discount! For details, see Information for Instructors.
Of course, you and your students might prefer to purchase it on Amazon, where discounts are also available and postage might be cheaper.
E-mail Paul with questions or to place your order, and a big thank-you to those who have ordered in the past.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s podcast?
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate,” Shakespeare wrote in Sonnet 18. Though not quite as lovely as Shakespeare himself (or the Fair Youth he was addressing in the sonnet), Paul’s first In a Manner of Speaking podcast episode of the summer is nevertheless quite inspiring, as it’s all about the Bard!
Whether you’re an expert or just beginning your Shakespeare journey, you should get some enjoyment and inspiration from the July podcast, which you can listen to here, or on your favorite podcast channel of index.
Say my name, say my name
Getting people to say your name — and pronounce it correctly — can often be a challenge. Enter Namecoach, the company founded by Praveen Shanbhag that allows people to record their name and embed the resulting sound file into their e-mail signatures and social-media accounts.
In this month’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast, Paul Meier talks to Praveen about Namecoach and pronunciation in general. Listen to the podcast episode here, or on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Summer sale on plays and musicals
For the first time ever, Paul is offering a summer sale on his popular dialect/accent recordings for plays and musicals. Normally priced at $349 for an entire play/musical, the recordings have been reduced by $100. So that’s just $249 for the dialect/accent design for an entire production, delivered via streaming sound files. The sale runs through July 31 and includes complimentary copies of the appropriate accent/dialect ebook. Go here for more information and to see if your play or musical is among the many that Paul offers.
If your show is not among the many that Paul offers a complete package for, you can still take advantage of the sale. If Paul offers only some of the characters in your play or musical, E-mail Paul and he’ll be happy to discuss a special offer.
And, as always, if you don’t see your production listed, Paul is happy to talk to you about preparing new recordings just for you!
What’s in a name?
That’s the question Paul asks of former BBC Pronunciation Adviser Graham Pointon on this month’s episode of In a Manner of Speaking. Check out the podcast here, or on your favorite podcast channel or index.
‘The Oxford English Dictionary’
The latest topic for Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast is the venerated Oxford English Dictionary. And Paul’s guest is Dr. Catherine Sangster, executive editor of pronunciations at Oxford Languages. She has been in charge of the Oxford English Dictionary’s pronunciations for 11 years. Listen to the podcast here, or on your favorite podcast channel or index.
How fast can you talk?
That’s what Paul wants to know in the latest episode of his In a Manner of Speaking podcast. Specifically, Paul dives into the world of speed talking and singing. Go here to listen.
Let’s talk Irish
Please welcome Professor Malachy O’Neill to the In a Manner of Speaking podcast. Paul and Malachy discuss all things related to the Irish language. Listen here, or on your favorite podcast channel or index. (But be advised that you can get all the free extra content related to this podcast only on PaulMeier.com.)
Professor O’Neill is also the latest IDEA subject: Northern Ireland 9.
Welcome the new year with a whistle
Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast is ringing in 2023 with a new topic: whistled speech. Listen to Paul and his podcast guest, linguist and acoustician Julien Meyer, discuss this unique topic here.
Exploring Roy Hart’s legacy
In the December edition of the In a Manner of Speaking podcast, Paul and his guests, Enrique Pardo and Linda Wise of Pantheatre, discuss the legacy of the intriguing and often controversial actor and vocalist Roy Hart (1926-1975). Pardo and Wise have spent decades building on the legacy of Hart, who is known for his almost superhuman vocal range, avant-garde performances, and work with German singing teacher Alfred Wolfsohn. Listen to the podcast here.
Holiday sale and a Dickens of a Christmas gift!
Looking for a great gift for an actor? Or looking to save money while improving your own dialect and accent skills?
Paul’s book, Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen, makes the perfect stocking-stuffer! With its 27 accents and dialects, the book is packed with fun exercises and accompanying sound files.
And to make it more affordable, from now until January 5, we’re offering $10 off (or a 12% reduction) on both the Deluxe Streaming print edition AND the iTunes ebook (Apple Book) version. That’s just US$69.95 (or US$69.99 on iTunes) instead of the usual US$79.95.
The Deluxe Streaming edition is a printed book with the sound files available via streaming audio from any internet-connected mobile device or computer. It’s available for this discounted price on my site (select Deluxe book w/streaming audio) until January 5. (The iTunes ebook must be purchased directly on iTunes by the account holder who wishes to use the ebook, but what a great inspiration for an iTunes gift card!)
The original CD version of the book is still available for its usual price of $99.95 but does not contain Jamaican, Estuary, or Birmingham.
Please note that the discount is not available on Amazon. However, if you are outside the United States, you will still find it cheaper to order the book through your own country’s Amazon, such as Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.ca.
And now … our gift to you: Paul’s audiobook reading of Charles Dickens’ beloved A Christmas Carol. Just click here to start listening absolutely free. (The link will expire January 5.) And please don’t forget that Paul offers coaching for every character in A Christmas Carol, in addition to dozens of other plays and musicals.
As 2022 draws to a close, may your holidays bring peace and joy to you and all your family.
Finally, for a free video preview of Paul’s book, see below:
New free accent video available
We’re proud to reveal a new, free video/audio preview of Paul’s Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition. Even if you don’t plan on buying the book, it’s a great, fun way to introduce yourself to 27 accents and dialects. See how many you can imitate!
A rhetorical podcast
Would you like to listen to a podcast on rhetoric?
No, that’s not a rhetorical question. Instead, it’s an invitation to this month’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast, which features Paul discussing Shakespeare’s rhetoric, and rhetoric in general, with Professor Gideon Burton. To listen, go here.
How do we learn to talk?
How do babies learn to talk? Listen to Paul and his podcast guest, Professor Jenny Saffran, dive into that topic in the latest episode of In a Manner of Speaking. Go here to listen.
David Crystal: ‘Sounds Appealing’
A discussion with the great linguist and author David Crystal always sounds appealing. But on this month’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast, David and Paul are taking the phrase literally: by discussing David’s 2018 book, Sounds Appealing. They discuss various topics related to the book, including pronunciation, phonetics, phoneticians, speech melody, intonation, and stress patterning.
Go here to listen to the podcast and learn more about David Crystal.
Language vs. reality
Paul’s podcast guest for August 2022 is Nick Enfield, professor of linguistics at the University of Sydney. Inspired by Nick’s 2022 book, Language Vs. Reality: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists, Paul and Nick discuss how language is not always the best tool for conveying and representing reality.
Go here to listen to the podcast, or find it on your favorite podcast channel or index. (But keep in mind that to access all the free extra content, you must visit the podcast page at PaulMeier.com.)
Summer sale continues through August 15
Exhausted by inflation? We are too. That’s why we’ve decided to buck the trend and drop the price of Paul’s signature product, Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition, by 10% for a special summer sale. That’s US$67.45 instead of the regular $74.95.
The sale runs through August 15. The lower price is available on this site, Amazon, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk, and also applies to the iTunes ebook (Apple Book) version. (If you live outside the United States, please check your country’s own Amazon, as that might be the cheapest way to buy when you factor in shipping.)
And if you’re a professor or anyone else wishing to buy five or more copies, you still receive the bulk discount on top of this sale, which means a further savings!
All good things must eventually end, though, and, unfortunately, we’re not immune to rising paper and ink prices, and Amazon and iTunes fees. So when this sale finishes on August 15, Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition will start selling at its new, permanent price of $79.95. This means that there will never be a better time to buy the book (or ebook) than now, during this summer sale.
July podcast welcomes Patsy Rodenburg
The July episode of Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast is proud to welcome renowned voice and speech teacher and coach Patsy Rodenburg. Paul and Patsy discuss various topics related to Patsy’s forthcoming book, The Woman’s Voice. Go here to listen to the podcast or search for “In a Manner of Speaking” on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Summer sale!
Tired of inflation? We are too. That’s why we’ve decided to buck the trend and drop the price of Paul’s signature product, Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition, by 10% for a special summer sale. That’s US$67.45 instead of the regular $74.95.
The sale runs through August 15. The lower price is available on this site, Amazon, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk, and also applies to the iTunes ebook (Apple Book) version. (If you live outside the United States, please check your country’s own Amazon, as that might be the cheapest way to buy when you factor in shipping.)
And if you’re a professor or anyone else wishing to buy five or more copies, you still receive the bulk discount on top of this sale, which means a further savings!
All good things must eventually end, though, and, unfortunately, we’re not immune to rising paper and ink prices, and Amazon and iTunes fees. So when this sale finishes on August 15, Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition will start selling at its new, permanent price of $79.95. This means that there will never be a better time to buy the book (or ebook) than now, during this summer sale.
Examining the ‘Bardic Tradition’
On this month’s In a Manner of Speaking, Paul tackles a topic that is new to the podcast but is arguably the oldest subject that the four-year-old podcast has ever discussed: the ancient Bardic Tradition. Paul’s guest is the “Bard of Bath,” Kevan Manwaring. Go here to listen, or find it wherever get your podcasts.
May podcast tackles dialect coaching
For the May 2022 edition of his In a Manner of Speaking podcast, Paul welcomes dialect coaches Edda Sharpe and Jan Haydn Rowles, authors of How To Do Accents and leading figures in the world of voice, speech, and dialects. The three discuss dialects in the English National Opera revival of My Fair Lady (coached by Edda) and the film Belfast (coached by Jan). They also engage in a larger discussion of dialects and accents, including the ones featured in those productions: Received Pronunciation (RP), Northern Irish, and Cockney.
To listen, go here or search for the podcast on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Nifty fifty!
Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast is turning 50! And that’s not an April Fools’ joke! OK, so that’s 50 episodes and not years. But we’re still proud. And to celebrate, Paul is turning the 51st episode (just released) into a celebration of the first 50 episodes. Check it out here.
