The podcast is back! After a 12-month hiatus, Paul returns to In a Manner of Speaking for episode 91 (July 2026). In this episode, he discusses yod, the linguistic term for the “y” sound one hears in words such as “you” and “yes.”
Paul addresses all aspects of yod (represented in IPA as [j]), including yod dropping and the differences in yod pronunciation between American and British English. (Americans typically pronounce “nude” and “tune” without yod, for example, while Britons use yod.)
Go here to view the UK dialect map to which Paul refers.
For more information on Eric Amstrong, visit his website. Amy Stoller’s site can be found here, and David Crystal’s here. And to learn about Phil Thompson, go here.
And check out these videos related to this month’s topic:
And here’s one more video addressing the topic of yod.
(Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major BMV 1007 Prelude (by Ivan Dolgunov) is courtesy of Jamendo Licensing.)
