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.
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!
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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!
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 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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Following the successful launch of the iTunes ebook (Apple Book) version of Paul’s Voicing Shakespeare earlier this year, we’re pleased to announce an updated edition of the original Windows version. To purchase the ebook, go here. (Mac users will need to purchase the iTunes version.)
The ebook, which sells for $29.99, features embedded audio and video. You will enjoy seven major sections, all divided into short and easy-to-read chapters, unlocking all the secrets you need to perform Shakespeare’s great work with confidence, clarity, and power. The ebook thoroughly explores verse; prose; voice, speech, and dialect; physical performance; musical dynamics; and Shakespeare’s rhetoric. In addition to readings by Paul, the ebook includes performances from 17 well-respected actors and theatre professors: 76 performances in all.
A big thanks to Curt Ford for the ebook’s development.
Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast guest for March is Denise Woods, successful Hollywood dialect coach, theatre professor at the California Institute of the Arts, and author of the recent book The Power of Voice, published by HarperCollins.
In addition to the two dialect coaches discussing the finer points of their profession, Paul and Denise talk about the contentious terms “accent reduction/modification” and how to help clients who believe their accent is holding them back socially or professionally. They also discuss coaching Black actors and delve into the changing landscape of audiobooks and how a single narrator can respectfully voice scores of characters who differ in age, gender, dialect, nationality, and ethnicity.
You can find the podcast where you normally go to listen to podcasts, or just click here.
New month, new podcast! And February’s episode of In a Manner of Speaking features Lane Greene, language columnist and Spain correspondent for The Economist. The podcast episode takes its title from one of Lane’s books, You Are What You Speak (2011), and Paul and Lane tackle a variety of topics related to linguistics, accents, and the myths, fears, and politics surrounding language. Go here to listen to the podcast, or look for it on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Paul’s new series of Zoom masterclasses will begin soon, and spaces are still available! The first two courses, covering voice-over and Shakespeare, begin February 5 and 6, respectively, while three more courses begin in early March. Topics for the March classes include British and Irish dialects, accent modification, and foreign-language accents.
For more information, go here. Or e-mail Paul at paul@paulmeier.com.
Happy New Year! To start 2022, Paul is welcoming Jeremy Fisher and Gillyanne Kayes of “Vocal Process” back to the In a Manner of Speaking podcast. The three discuss pitch, specifically the extremes of the human voice as it relates to both speaking and singing. Listen to the episode here, or find it on your favorite podcast channel or index.
In spite of the date on the calendar, on this New Year’s Eve we here at Paul Meier Dialect Services are going to party like it’s 1599! That’s because we are celebrating the release of Paul’s Voicing Shakespeare ebook on iTunes (Apple Books). The ebook was first published in 2008 for Windows, and now we have finally released a new and improved iTunes version compatible with Mac, iPhone, and iPad. For more details, go directly to iTunes. And for the original Windows version, go here.
The ebook, which sells for $29.99, features embedded audio and video. You will enjoy seven major sections, all divided into short and easy-to-read chapters, unlocking all the secrets you need to perform Shakespeare’s great work with confidence, clarity, and power. The ebook thoroughly explores verse; prose; voice, speech, and dialect; physical performance; musical dynamics; and Shakespeare’s rhetoric. In addition to readings by Paul, the ebook includes performances from 17 well-respected actors and theatre professors: 76 performances in all.
Happy New Year!
All dialects are equal, but are some more equal than others? Find out the answer to this tongue-in-cheek question on the new episode of Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast. Click here to listen, or search for “In a Manner of Speaking” on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Paul’s guest this month is Lancaster University Professor of Linguistics Willem Hollmann.
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 New Year’s Day, I’m offering a 10% discount on both the Deluxe Streaming print edition AND the iTunes ebook (Apple Book) version. That’s just US$67.45 (or US$67.99 on iTunes) instead of the usual US$74.95.
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 1. (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 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 … 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 1.)
As 2021 draws to a close, may your holidays bring peace and joy to you and all your family.
Paul is proud to announce a new series of Zoom masterclasses for February and March. Five separate courses will cover topics ranging from dialects and accents, to Shakespeare, to voice-over, to accent modification. For details, go here.
The new month is off to a “Highly Irregular” start with the latest episode of Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast, in which he discusses the oddities of the English language with linguist Arika Okrent, author of Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don’t Rhyme. Listen to the podcast here, or where you normally find podcasts.
Please welcome professional audiobook narrator Elizabeth Wiley to Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast. Paul and Elizabeth discuss everything related to the art of audiobook narration and even read excerpts from a couple of books. Go here to listen to this month’s podcast, or find the podcast on your favorite podcast channel or index.
For the September episode of the In a Manner of Speaking podcast, Paul welcomes back legendary linguist David Crystal. The two converse about … conversation itself.
Listen to the podcast here, or wherever you usually listen to podcasts.
Join Paul and his guest, Professor Jacqueline Springfield, for a discussion of heightened language and Black playwrights on this month’s edition of Paul’s free podcast, In a Manner of Speaking. Go here to listen to the episode and find out more about the topic, or find the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or the podcast index of your choice.
“Law Talk” is the title of this month’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast, and, appropriately, the conversation centers on the spoken word as it relates to the law, specifically courtroom procedures and presentations. Paul’s guest is Professor Pamela Keller, of the University of Kansas School of Law. You can listen to the podcast here or on your favorite podcast channel or index.
Never heard of glossolalia? You don’t need a glossary — just tune in to the June edition of the In a Manner of Speaking podcast, which features renowned phonologist Paul de Lacy.
For the May edition of In a Manner of Speaking, Paul is proud to welcome Mem Fox, Australia’s bestselling author. She and Paul discuss reading to children. Check it out here.
Good news! The free Interactive IPA charts are finally back online. These interactive charts of the International Phonetic Alphabet — which have always been the most popular pages on PaulMeier.com — are voiced by Paul Meier and designed by Eric Armstrong.
Originally built in Flash, the charts had been offline for the last few months following the demise of that now-extinct program. But with some recent software adjustments, we are glad to have them back. Even better, they are available on ALL computers and devices. (They had previously not been available on Apple mobile devices.) Nevertheless, we strongly recommend visiting the charts on a larger device, such as a large tablet or computer.
If you only have a small mobile phone, the charts will still work. But for a better display, we recommend purchasing the app version, for just $3.99. For more information, visit the charts page.
In the April edition of Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast, he discusses speech and voice disorders with Joanna Cazden. Check it out here, or on your favorite podcast channel.
We’ve received reports recently about problems with Paul’s Interactive IPA app on some Android tablets, specifically Samsung. After extensive testing, we’ve discovered that an Android update earlier this year corrupted the swiping function of this and similar apps, making it impossible to move from screen to screen and thereby view the phonetics charts. We apologize for this, but as we have no control over Android updates, this problem was unavoidable. But the GOOD NEWS is that a new update seems to have fixed this issue.
We strongly suggest updating your software, which should automatically update your apps. Nevertheless, we would still suggest deleting and reinstalling the app. If this doesn’t solve your problems, we’d welcome your feedback. Thanks!
Inspired by John Belushi’s SNL “weather report” analyzing March weather, we’re proud to announce that, here at Paul Meier Dialect Services, March comes in like a schwa and goes out like a glottal stop. Confused? Just listen to this month’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast here, or on your favorite podcast channel.
Paul’s February edition of his In a Manner of Speaking podcast tackles Polari, the “secret” language used primarily by gay men in Britain during the 19th and 20th centuries. This month’s special guest is Paul Baker, an expert on the language. Go here to listen to the podcast, or search for In a Manner of Speaking on your favorite podcast channel.
Happy new year! Paul is proud to welcome in 2021 with a new episode of his In a Manner of Speaking podcast. The guest this month is Jan Gist, and Paul and Jan discuss “Shakespeare’s Shapely Language.” The conversation is not confined to Shakespeare, however, as they discuss the “shapes” of language in modern contexts too.
You can listen to the podcast here, or on your favorite podcast channel.
Are you looking for a last-minute holiday gift for the actor in your life? We kindly suggest Paul’s new and improved Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition. If you purchased Paul’s previous edition (with CDs), please keep in mind that this new version (which replaces the CDs with audio files that are easily streamable from any internet-connected device) contains three more dialects than that older edition (Jamaican, Birmingham and Estuary) and costs less ($74.95 instead of $99.95).
IMPORTANT: The last day to order and be guaranteed delivery before Christmas (in the United States, with priority mail) is tomorrow, December 18. You can order through Amazon.com or from this site (by selecting option #1 on the drop-down menu). If you’re outside the United States, the book might not arrive before Christmas. We suggest checking your own country’s Amazon for availability.
You can preview the book here.
The book is also now available as an iTunes ebook (Apple Book.)
Happy holidays from all of us at Paul Meier Dialect Services!
Just in time for the holidays, my new and improved iTunes ebook (Apple Book) version of Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen is finally here!
This ebook has the same content as the new print version: Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen Deluxe Streaming Edition, released earlier this year. That means it now contains my two newest British dialects, Birmingham and Estuary (the modern sound of southern England).
Both the ebook and the printed book (with sound files delivered as streaming audio via a website link) are just $74.99. That’s a $25 savings from the original book (with CDs) and the previous edition of the ebook. So now you can save money AND get additional dialects.
You must buy the ebook directly through Apple on your personal iTunes account. But if you prefer the printed book, I recommend Amazon.com if you’re in the United States. If you’re outside the U.S., I suggest purchasing it directly from this site (option #1 on the drop-down menu) or checking your own country’s Amazon. (Because of COVID, Amazon.com’s shipments to outside the U.S. can be delayed.)
More good news: If you’re an instructor needing five or more books for your students, that’s easy to do on Amazon. Bulk purchases earn a 15% discount! (The ebook can only be purchased singly, and Apple provides us no mechanism to discount.)
The ebook can be viewed on a Mac and Apple mobile devices. On a tablet, we recommend viewing the ebook in vertical scrolling mode. (The ebook is NOT compatible with Windows computers or Android devices. If you have an Android device, we recommend the Deluxe Streaming Edition of the printed book, as you can read that hard-copy book while listening to the audio on your Android device.)
Paul’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast is devoted to the spoken word. And, of course, our understanding of the spoken word changed in the 19th century with the invention of recorded sound. This month’s podcast travels back in time to that invention and features a discussion with Patrick Feaster of FirstSounds.org and film critic/historian Cameron Meier.
This podcast marks the debut of one of Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville’s earliest recordings, from 1857.
Listen to the podcast here, or on your favorite podcast channel.
The sound of Ancient Greek is just one of the topics Paul tackles in his latest In a Manner of Speaking podcast. This month’s episode — which you can listen to here or on your favorite podcast channel — features Rush Rehm, professor of Theater and Classics at Stanford University.
Paul has just released an updated version of his popular Interactive IPA app for Apple devices. This update fixes some sound files that some customers said were not playable on certain new devices, and it improves the overall visual display. It also guarantees great functionality into the foreseeable future.
If you already have the app, it should update automatically, depending on your device settings. Or you can simply go to the app store, search for “Interactive IPA” and download the new version (free of charge if you already have it). For new customers, the app is $3.99.
For more information on the app or to purchase the CD-ROM version, go here. A similar demonstration of the charts of the International Phonetic Alphabet are also available here for those of you who still can run Flash.
The app is also available for Android here.
Paul’s newest Zoom masterclasses begin on November 1. The two new courses are devoted to foreign-language accents and teaching accent modification. See Zoom masterclasses for more information. Hope to see you soon!
Paul’s guest for the October edition of In a Manner of Speaking is the distinguished South African linguist Dr. Joyce Sukumane. Paul and Joyce discuss various topics related to African languages, voices, dialects, and language policy. You can find the podcast here, or on your favorite podcast channel.
It’s “International Talk Like a Pirate” Day. (For more on this holiday, see Wikipedia.)
Did you know that the modern stereotype of “pirate speech” was actually invented by English actor Robert Newton in the 1950 Walt Disney film Treasure Island? Newton used his native West Country dialect as the basis for the speech of Long John Silver.
Would you like to learn this dialect? It’s remarkably close to the Hampshire dialect, which Paul teaches. Check it out here.
