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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Michael Rosen presents Radio 4's open door on the world of words and the way we speak. Email: word.of.mouth@bbc.co.uk |
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LISTEN AGAIN |
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PRESENTER |
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"As a child, I was surrounded by people talking about words and language, my
parents and brother spoke several languages. What's more the house always
seemed to be full of people telling stories and jokes, many of which turned
on some word-play or other.
I've been writing poems and stories since I was sixteen and if that doesn't
sensitise you to how language is used then nothing will. So with all that,
to present Word of Mouth feels like being at home. I love it."
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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Nationalism
The concept of nationalism and the meaning of the word itself are examined by Dr George Sanford, reader in politics at the University of Bristol.
Napoli/Naples
Why is it that we have given foreign towns and cities different names to those they have in their own country? Professor Martin Durrell of the University of Manchester explains with a linguistic journey around Europe.
The Passive Voice
The writer Maureen Freely investigates the use of the passive voice by governments, councils and businesses as a way of getting out of difficult situations.
Chav
Chav is one of the most prominent new words of 2004 and describes members of an underclass of disaffected British youth. Dr Ruth Cherrington from the University of Warwick describes how and why the upper classes have been inventing offensive words for the lower classes since the 11th Century.
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