A Word in Your Ear

ABC

Emeritus Professor Roly Sussex from the University of Queensland discusses the wonderful and odd aspects of English and many other languages.

  1. 08/12/2025

    A Word in Your Ear: Christmas Language

    Professor Roly Sussex explains the phrases of the festive season.

    26 min

  2. 01/12/2025

    A Word in Your Ear: Politeness

    What does it mean to be polite, and has that changed in recent years?

    25 min

  3. 17/11/2025

    A Word in Your Ear: Pronunciations

    Professor Roly Sussex clarifies some common pronunciation problems and why different places have differing ways of saying the same thing.

    19 min

  4. 10/11/2025

    A Word in Your Ear: Neologisms

    Everyone loves a fresh turn of phrase, a new saying or an untested expression.  These newly coined phrases are called neologisms.

    28 min

  5. 27/10/2025

    A Word in Your Ear: Broken Rules

    It might shock you, but Professor Roly Sussex says some language rules are made to be broken.

    25 min

  6. 20/10/2025

    A Word in Your Ear: CB Radio Slang

    From "10-4" to "hammer down", Professor Roly Sussex unlocks the secret language of the roads.

    26 min

  7. 13/10/2025

    A Word in Your Ear: French Influences

    Professor Roly Sussex takes us on a journey through history and language to explore France's lasting influence on the English vocabulary.

    23 min

  8. 06/10/2025

    A Word in Your Ear: Words of the Kitchen

    Have you ever thought about why we call the objects in our kitchen whatever we call them?

    23 min
See All (324)

About

Emeritus Professor Roly Sussex from the University of Queensland discusses the wonderful and odd aspects of English and many other languages.

Information

  • Creator
    ABC
  • Years Active
    2009 - 2025
  • Episodes
    324
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    A Word in Your Ear

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