Speakeasy
Every week, Daniel talks about language on ABC Radio Perth 720. Here are all the episodes that are available.
You can also hear these episodes on the Speakeasy page that ABC Australia maintains. It’s good too.
Many thanks to our producers Meggie Morris, Damian Smith, and the team at ABC Radio Perth for putting up these stories onto the website, for hunting down topics, and for even getting this show on the air in the first place.
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28 Jul 2022
Rural, sixth, phenomenon: why you can’t say some words
https://www.abc.net.au/perth/programs/breakfast/why-you-cant-say-some-words/13992522
30 Jun 2022
Don’t cry over spilt milk, create a new word for it instead!
https://www.abc.net.au/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-new-words/13953316
17 Jun 2022
Linguist Daniel Midgley explains how rock ‘n’ roll got its name
https://www.abc.net.au/perth/programs/breakfast/how-rock-n-roll-got-its-name/13933700
9 Jun 2022
How our languages evolved from a common ancestor
https://www.abc.net.au/perth/programs/breakfast/how-language-evolves-over-time/13921808
5 May 2022
Linguist Daniel Midgley explains the origins of Australian rhyming slang
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/origins-of-australian-rhyming-slang/13868178
21 Apr 2022
Linguist Daniel Midgley on how technology is shaping the English language
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/how-is-technology-affecting-language/13849132
7 Apr 2022
Linguist Daniel Midgley on how to pronounce Vincent van Gogh
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-confusing/13831188
31 Mar 2022
Linguist Daniel Midgley explains the three Australian accents
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-accents/13820724
17 Mar 2022
What do the new emojis on your phone mean? And do we even need them?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-do-we-need-emojis/13800098
10 Mar 2022
Daniel Midgley explains Australia’s favourite ways of calling someone ‘stupid’?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/how-australians-call-people-stupid/13792354
3 Mar 2022
How does language affect war? A linguist explains
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/13779884
24 Feb 2022
Are some people better at learning new languages than others?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/13769034
17 Feb 2022
How do you pronounce the Ukranian capital of Kiev?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/13758730
How Do You Say Kyiv? It Can Be Hard for English Speakers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/25/world/europe/kyiv-pronunciation.html
10 Feb 2022
What’s an eggcorn? Linguist Daniel Midgley explains
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/13748982
Shifting Idioms: An Eggcornucopia
https://blog.oup.com/2007/07/eggcorn/
20 Jan 2022
Why are Australians obsessed with ending words with ‘O’?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/why-australians-shortened-words/13722012
Wordle
https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/
16 Dec 2021
When did ‘uptick’ become a word, and will it stick around?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-uptick-increase/13683814
9 Dec 2021
Where does ‘okay’ come from and why do we use it so often?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-history-of-okay/13669554
25 Nov 2021
Can we hallucinate accents and words?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-hearing-things/13660864
Bart Simpson Bouncing! | Reddit: blackmagicfuckery
https://www.reddit.com/r/blackmagicfuckery/comments/nv8o3k/bart_simpson_bouncing/
18 Nov 2021
Is there really a difference anymore between asking ‘can I’ or ‘may I’?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-can-may-evolution/13636922
11 Nov 2021
How has ‘good on ya’ has made it to the White House?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-big-bird-good-on-ya/13626690
4 Nov 2021
Durries and darts: explaining the quintessentially Aussie slang for cigarettes
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-durries-and-darts/13616626
21 Oct 2021
What do plums have to do with forgetting things?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-plum-forgot/13596820
14 Oct 2021
Are we changing the way we pronounce ‘a’ sounds? And who’s going to Coventry?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-sent-to-coventry/13596842
What is plain language?
https://www.plainlanguage.gov/about/definitions/
7 Oct 2021
What’s the harm in banning slang on school grounds?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-school-bans-slang/13574526
Oh my days: linguists lament slang ban in London school
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/sep/30/oh-my-days-linguists-lament-slang-ban-in-london-school
30 Sep 2021
Does ‘skulduggery’ have anything to do with skulls? And how did ‘dare’ get grammatically frozen in time?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-dare-skulduggery/13564700
Patrick Duffley: Need and dare: The black sheep of the modal family [PDF]
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229231921_Need_and_dare_The_black_sheep_of_the_modal_family
23 Sep 2021
Why does the word ‘anti-vaxxer’ need two x’s?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-anti-vaxxer/13554614
Whoop-de-do! It’s the OED September 2021 update
https://public.oed.com/blog/the-oed-september-2021-update/
16 Sep 2021
Daniel Midgley gets musical during Maori Language Week
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speak-easy-maori-language-week/13544396
Lorde Dropped A Surprise Mini-Album Of ‘Solar Power’ Tracks In The Māori Language
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/09/1035517517/lorde-maori-language-album-solar-power
9 Sep 2021
What this story about chopping wood on a Sunday morning tells us about language
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-wood-chopping-turmeric/13533878
Big thanks to Michael for his question.
How to Pronounce Often: Is the “T” Silent? | Merriam-Webster
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/correct-pronunciation-of-often
2 Sep 2021
Who is Larry and why is he so happy?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-happy-as-larry/13528960
26 Aug 2021
Why do we learn ‘dead’ languages? Do they help us learn other things?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-latin-revival/13515196
Latin to be introduced at 40 state secondaries in England | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jul/31/latin-introduced-40-state-secondaries-england
19 Aug 2021
Why it’s significant to dub classic films in Indigenous languages
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-fist-of-fury-noongar/13502414
Kung fu classic Fist of Fury dubbed in Indigenous Noongar Daa language | Sydney Morning Herald
https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/kung-fu-classic-fist-of-fury-dubbed-in-indigenous-noongar-daa-language-20210811-p58hvk.html
12 Aug 2021
Medalling? Podiuming? Why do we love ‘verbing’ so much?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-verbing/13494476
5 Aug 2021
Is not making the ‘G’ sound somethin’ worth makin’ a fuss about? – Breakfast – ABC Radio
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-dropping-the-g/13485022
Digby, Lord Jones: the man who took on linguistics and lost | Dr Claire Hardaker
http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/drclaireh/2021/08/02/digby-lord-jones-the-man-who-took-on-linguistics-and-lost/
29 Jul 2021
Is ‘youse’ proper English? Actually, what even is ‘proper English’?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-youse-proper-english/13475386
22 Jul 2021
The issue with ‘language engineering’ and the push to get rid of the term ‘shark attack’
Australian shark experts say attacks should be called negative encounters – The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07/16/shark-attack-negative-encounters-australia/
15 Jul 2021
Why do humans have so many idioms about death?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-terms-for-death/13446208
8 Jul 2021
Why are so many places named after cows? And what’s the etymology of ‘Portugal’?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-cow-place-names-portugal/13436928
The reddit thread: Places where cows can cross water: Vancouver, the Bosporus strait, and Oxford : etymology
https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/odgf5x/places_where_cows_can_cross_water_vancouver_the/
24 Jun 2021
Why do Australians spell ‘kerb’ with a ‘k’? We have to journey back to the 1400s for the answer
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-kerb-versus-curb/13410488
The relevant tweet:
17 Jun 2021
Why is it so common for us to hear lyrics incorrectly? And why are they called ‘mondegreens’?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-misheard-lyrics/13394474
10 Jun 2021
Why do we “take a gander” when we look at something?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-take-a-gander/13381936
3 Jun 2021
Have we finally figured out the mystery behind the word “codswallop”?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-covid-19-greek-letters/13371854
27 May 2021
Have you been hearing more people use ‘there’s’ when referring to plural nouns?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-there-are-there-is/13361714
Tiger Webb: Grammar’s subject-verb and singular-plural agreements were violated even by Shakespeare
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-25/grammatical-errors-singular-plural-apostrophe-there-is-are/100143650
20 May 2021
What’s the connection between online scammers and bad grammar?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-online-scam/13361734
13 May 2021
Why is the bottom half of your leg named after a baby cow? Or is it the other way around?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-calves-and-calves/13342782
6 May 2021
Why is everyone obsessed with the Australian accent right now?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-australian-accent-tiktok/13331852
29 Apr 2021
The popular words which surprisingly come from baseball
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-baseball-terms/13323958
22 Apr 2021
How the slang we use for cannabis is changing
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-420-blaze-it/13323962
15 Apr 2021
Speakeasy: Is Yiddish making a comeback?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-yiddish-rise-and-that/13303904
8 Apr 2021
The world is obsessed with the laughing crying emoji, what does this say about language?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-laugh-cry-emoji/13295236
26 Mar 2021
The word “yeet”, popular with today’s teens, isn’t as new and trendy as they might think
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-yeet/13276900
18 Mar 2021
Why don’t we fun anyone anymore? Fun’s journey from verb to noun
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-fun-verb/13276954
11 Mar 2021
It’s been muggy in Perth for weeks now, but where does that funny word come from?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-muggy-beowulf/13237822
4 Mar 2021
Happy Grammar Day! Let’s celebrate suffixes, pronouns and all things grammar
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-grammar-day/13215468
25 Feb 2021
Why do we cotton on to things? And when we complain about this mortal coil, what is eating at us?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-cotton-on-mortal-coil/13191992
18 Feb 2021
How do you pluralise those popular plastic bricks?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-lego-plural/13167646
11 Feb 2021
Why does the sentence “Zoom cat lawyer got milkshake-ducked” make sense in modern English?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-cat-lawyer-milkshake-ducked/13167444
4 Feb 2021
Scientists have taught spinach to send emails, so what can that teach us about language?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-spinach-emails/13167382
29 Jan 2021
Why are there words you can’t remember the definition of, no matter how many times you look them up!?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-lapsonyms/13102594
21 Jan 2021
Where do sea shanties come from and why are they an important part of language?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-sea-shanties/13081744
14 Jan 2021
Why is it a “pair” of pants? And which letter in “scent” is silent?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-why-is-it-pair-of-pants/13057150
24 Dec 2020
Which was the most popular language people tried to learn during this locked down year?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-learning-language-2020/13013000
17 Dec 2020
Snail mail, silent film, landline: say hello to the ‘retronym’
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12999014
10 Dec 2020
The curious case of Karen: Word of the Year or offensive slur?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12971024
3 Dec 2020
Speakeasy: asking questions about language around disability shows that we care
26 Nov 2020
How dual naming like Boola Bardip is helping to preserve Aboriginal language
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-boola-bardip/12923830
19 Nov 2020
Coronavirus has 2020 words of the year on “lockdown”
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-word-of-the-year/12901152
12 Nov 2020
The 50 Words Project: celebrating Australia’s Indigenous languages
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-50-words-project/12877322
5 Nov 2020
When algorithms go wrong: Amazon’s Swedish website lost in translation
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12852634
29 Oct 2020
Diss, doff and thimble: the origins of words that seem so obvious in retrospect
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12827192
22 Oct 2020
Speakeasy: It’s officially spoopy season… or is it spooky season?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-spoopy-halloween-words/12803370
15 Oct 2020
Do you need to speak English before migrating to Australia?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12771530
8 Oct 2020
Speakeasy: When you go to Rottnest Island, are you IN or ON Rotto?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-rottnest-island-on-or-in/12744532
1 Oct 2020
Speakeasy: your language questions answered
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-questions/12722124
24 Sep 2020
Comma splices and interrobangs: do you know your punctuation?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-national-punctuation-day/12702156
17 Sep 2020
Bonza? Crikey? Beaut? What does it mean to sound Australian?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-australianisms/12673846
10 Sep 2020
Best, cheers and kind regards: what your email sign-off says about you
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-email-signoffs/12650610
3 Sep 2020
‘Groundhog Day’ started as a movie title but now the phrase has taken on a life of its own. Here are some others
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-groundhog-day/12625816
27 Aug 2020
Uh-oh: Scots Wikipedia found to be largely written by American teenager who can’t speak Scots
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-scots-wikipedia/12602222
20 Aug 2020
Vexed text: how do you indicate you’re being sarcastic… in writing?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12578732
13 Aug 2020
The trap for new arrivals: why Australians ‘barrack’ instead of ‘root’ for sporting teams
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12578916
6 Aug 2020
New Commonwealth style manual attracts a raised eyebrow or 2
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12530700
30 Jul 2020
Speakeasy: your language questions answered
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-qanda/12507416
23 Jul 2020
Can your smart device understand your accent?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-smart-device-accents/12485136
16 Jul 2020
World Emoji Day: “I don’t want to sound like an old fart, but just use words!”
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12466956
9 Jul 2020
Can’t stand the word ‘irregardless’? Not so fast!
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-irregardless/12439554
2 Jul 2020
Did Milton Glaser’s iconic “I Heart NY” logo help teach us how to talk in emoji?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12420832
25 Jun 2020
Fankle, denialism and athleisure: new additions to the Oxford English Dictionary
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12393030
18 Jun 2020
Is blood really thicker than water? And are clams really that happy?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-nonsensical-expressions/12368900
11 Jun 2020
Can you tell an AI bot from a human just by chatting online?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-ai-bots-versus-humans/12344838
4 Jun 2020
Speakeasy: bungry, umptipump and cud cud, the words unique to individual families
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-familial-language/12320592
28 May 2020
“Yeeeeaahh!” How and why we stretchhhh words in text
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12296392
21 May 2020
Speakeasy: does coronavirus have a linguistic gender? And what on earth is sarspididious?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-coronavirus-gender/12271426
14 May 2020
Not so fast: brain-machine interfaces won’t make talking redundant just yet
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12248098
7 May 2020
What did the PM mean when he said ‘early mark’? Is it just an eastern states phrase?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12223980
30 Apr 2020
Speakeasy: the end of the line for the typed double space
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-typing-spaces-suffix-ize/12201384
23 Apr 2020
“We all fall down!” The plague, and other nursery rhyme myths
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12158350
16 Apr 2020
Don’t make a Mother Goose of yourself – find out what these nursery rhymes mean
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12176360
9 Apr 2020
In the age of video chats, ‘gaze cueing’ could explain why things feel different
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12137468
2 Apr 2020
Coronavirus lingo: who’s on your quaranteam?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12115082
26 Mar 2020
Bored at home? Here are some linguistic ideas to keep you occupied
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12103070
19 Mar 2020
Working from home? Why not practise speaking ‘parentese’ to your baby
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12071574
12 Mar 2020
“A case of the Mileys”: satirical site prompts Cockney rhyming slang for ‘coronavirus’
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12050292
5 Mar 2020
GIF or JIF? The divisive pronunciation debate is back
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12028938
27 Feb 2020
Your ‘nonsense’ words explained: the origins of hooroo and barleese
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/12006016
20 Feb 2020
The words you use when you can’t think of the right word
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11985012
13 Feb 2020
Yes, ‘learnings’ goes back further than Ross Lyon – much further!
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11963644
6 Feb 2020
The new ‘pinched fingers’ emoji has a lot of different meanings
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11937996
30 Jan 2020
Celebrating Indian English: the 26 new words in the dictionary
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11914082
23 Jan 2020
Spam, wonderful spam: how Monty Python inspired the language of email
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11893208
16 Jan 2020
Speakeasy: Who is Karen? What is a VSCO girl? And are they all Gucci?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-vsco-girl-karen/11874342
9 Jan 2020
Coolth? It’s the opposite of warmth, of course
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11854940
2 Jan 2020
Speakeasy: The mystery behind ‘tickety boo’ and have you sneaked or snuck?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-sneaked-snuck/11837738
19 Dec 2019
‘They’ said it: the people’s choice for Word of the Year
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-word-of-the-year/11813872
12 Dec 2019
The cat with the Southern accent: how we make meaning from sound
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11794324
5 Dec 2019
The Apostrophe Protection Society is gone – but why did it even begin?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11775058
28 Nov 2019
Fleabagging? The new language of dating
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-relationships/11746286
21 Nov 2019
Speakeasy: facon? Fauxmage? What should we call vegan products modelled after meat?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-vegan-food-meaty-names/11725902
14 Nov 2019
Speakeasy: the tricky technicalities behind berries and bananas
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-strawberries-bananas/11725864
7 Nov 2019
Training pets to communicate with humans
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-pets/11681974
31 Oct 2019
Could you give up apostrophes for a month?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-apostrophe/11664084
24 Oct 2019
Something borrowed, something new: how to say words from another language
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11636078
17 Oct 2019
Manhattanhenge’s revenge: new words enter the OED
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11612276
10 Oct 2019
Test your grammar against a Year 4 student
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11590960
3 Oct 2019
The campaign to create the ‘forgivemoji’
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-forgiveness/11575324
26 Sep 2019
The Pope says we should ‘give up’ using adjectives
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11583452
19 Sep 2019
Onomatopoeia makes a splash at Cockburn pool
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11583558
12 Sep 2019
Speakeasy: leprechauns, ogach, crottach… it’s good old medieval Irish craic
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-medieval-irish/11505188
5 Sep 2019
Speakeasy: is the language of nature being hijacked by technology?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-technology-versus-nature/11481374
29 Aug 2019
Speakeasy: the case against ‘literally’ Swiftly despatched by linguists
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11470774
22 Aug 2019
Speakeasy: getting the most out of reading to kids
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11438326
15 Aug 2019
Speakeasy: got vs gotten
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11417078
8 Aug 2019
Speakeasy: slang words for ‘fart’
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11396008
1 Aug 2019
Speakeasy: Jacob Rees-Mogg’s style guide
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11374156
18 July 2019
Speakeasy: the ‘bonkers’ grammar guide from 1883
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11322062
4 Jul 2019
Speakeasy: new words in the Oxford
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11278668
27 Jun 2019
Speakeasy: the ‘mark of admiration’
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11255942
20 Jun 2019
Speakeasy: textspeak isn’t ruining grammar
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11228532
13 Jun 2019
Speakeasy: cornflake controversy
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11206164
30 May 2019
Speakeasy: so, about the word ‘so’…
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-so/11163866
23 May 2019
Speakeasy: say my name, say my name
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11142888
16 May 2019
Speakeasy: no relation
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-pairs/11120172
9 May 2019
Speakeasy: the language of elections
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-election/11097542
25 Apr 2019
Speakeasy: your questions answered
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11046382
18 Apr 2019
Speakeasy: your questions answered
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/11029304
11 Apr 2019
Speakeasy: a stylish guide to style guides
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-aces/10993114
4 Apr 2019
Speakeasy: deciphering teen slang
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-teen-slang/10970338
28 Mar 2019
Speakeasy: the history of the word ‘bogan’
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-bogan/10948596
14 Mar 2019
Speakeasy: food for thought
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-food/10901118
7 March 2019
Speakeasy: Irony, an historic, and where ‘dude’ came from.
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-listener-questions/10879330
28 February 2019
Speakeasy: in defense of emojis
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-emojis/10857710
21 February 2019
Speakeasy: are you a language purist?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-purists-vs-revolutionists/10833598
14 February 2019
Speakeasy: happy romantic obligation day!
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-love/10825874
7 February 2019
Speakeasy: the impact of TV on children’s speech
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-peppa/10789848
31 January 2019
Speakeasy: the UN’s Year of Indigenous Languages
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-indigenous-languages/10767058
24 January 2019
Speakeasy: sarcasm ‘lost on Americans’
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-sarcasm/10746988
13 December 2018
Speakeasy: Google CEO on Trump link
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-google/10615478
11 December 2018
The apostrophe wars – to use or lose? (Radio National)
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-hub-on-books/the-apostrophe-wars/10599498
6 December 2018
Speakeasy: The origin of silent letters
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-silent/10590432
29 November 2018
Speakeasy: pineapples and pennies
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-money/10567818
22 November 2018
Speakeasy: bad Aussie ‘strine is a strain
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/10555300
15 November 2018
Speakeasy: legendarily labelled locations
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-place-names/10500568
8 November 2018
Speakeasy: new set of emoji available
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-emoji/10488452
1 November 2018
Speakeasy: the words our kids invent
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-apostrophes/10456348
25 October 2018
Speakeasy: compound subjects and redundant words
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-compound-subjects/10428908
18 October 2018
Speakeasy: meet the nym family
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-aptronyms/10392240
27 September 2018
Speakeasy: new Scrabble words
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/10312102
20 September 2018
Speakeasy: umlauts, interrobangs, and other quirks of punctuation
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-punctuation/10285830
13 September 2018
Speakeasy: learning to speak ‘Youth’
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/10298520
6 September 2018
Speakeasy: the celeb portmanteau
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-nicknames/10209170
30 August 2018
Speakeasy: the ‘rude’ names websites won’t allow
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-rude-names/10183554
23 August 2018
Speakeasy: voice recognition and accents
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/10168958
16 August 2018
Speakeasy: baby talk builds language skills
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-baby-talk/10140396
9 August 2018
Speakeasy: Accidental mispronunciations
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/10105736
2 August 2018
Speakeasy: Changing the name of a country
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-eswatini-online/10077886
26 July 2018
Speakeasy: Flat out like a lizard drinking
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-aussie-phrases/10038130
19 July 2018
Speakeasy: the reality of artificial intelligence
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-seinfeld/10013094
12 July 2018
Speakeasy: can you pick up a Royal accent?
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-meghan/9986968
5 July 2018
Speakeasy: separating myth from truth
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-myths/9944006
28 June 2018
Speakeasy: pronouncing a trouncing
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-pronunciations/9920254
21 June 2018
Speakeasy: when words graduate to the dictionary
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-oed/9895076
14 June 2018
Speakeasy: communicating with aliens
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-aliens/9871134
7 June 2018
Speakeasy: the power of forensic linguistics
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-forensic/9845998
31 May 2018
Speakeasy: a stylish guide to style guides
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-style/9820824
24 May 2018
Speakeasy: a conference on Pokemonastics
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-pokemon/9796662
17 May 2018
Speakeasy: the humble audio dividing the internet
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/9772010
10 May 2018
Speakeasy: how animals communicate
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/9747700
3 May 2018
Speakeasy: stay ahead of the language curve
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/9723474
26 April 2018
Speakeasy: how emojis are changing language
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/9699542
16 March 2018
Speakeasy: the evolution of band names in music
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-band-names/9556350
8 March 2018
Speakeasy: why do we have ‘who’ and ‘whom’?
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-whom/9528292
1 March 2018
Speakeasy: why acronyms are not just abbreviations
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-acronyms/9499248
22 February 2018
Reasons why you should stop saying the word retard
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy-offensive-words-retard/9474464
15 February 2018
Foreign accent syndrome: it’s a thing
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/9451014
8 February 2018
Speakeasy: Like, literally the best segment ever!
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/speakeasy/9408414
13 November 2017
Speakeasy: the when, where of what you can swear
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/speakeasy/9146568
30 October 2017
Speakeasy: alcohol’s effect on language learning
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/speakeasy/9101370
28 August 2017
Speakeasy: sense of language begins in the womb
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/speakeasy/8850074
21 August 2017
Speakeasy: a mature discussion about cheesy puns
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/speakeasy/8828930
14 August 2017
Speakeasy: do grammar checkers help or hinder?
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/speakeasy/8805732
7 August 2017
Speakeasy: the pubs where swearing is banned
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/speakeasy/8782870
14 September 2017
Speakeasy: Aussie and British English hits the US
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/speakeasy/8945046
4 September 2017
Speakeasy: linguistics gets moralistic
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/speakeasy/8879262
27 July 2017
Amazon seeks linguist fluent in ‘Aussie’
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/drive/daniel-midgley/8750644