A Word in Your Ear: Christmas Language
Professor Roly Sussex explains the phrases of the festive season.
Dec 08, 2025•26 min
A Word in Your Ear
Emeritus Professor Roly Sussex from the University of Queensland discusses the wonderful and odd aspects of English and many other languages.
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Episodes
A Word in Your Ear: Politeness
What does it mean to be polite, and has that changed in recent years?
Dec 01, 2025•25 min
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.
Nov 17, 2025•19 min
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.
Nov 10, 2025•28 min
A Word in Your Ear: Broken Rules
It might shock you, but Professor Roly Sussex says some language rules are made to be broken.
Oct 27, 2025•25 min
A Word in Your Ear: CB Radio Slang
From "10-4" to "hammer down", Professor Roly Sussex unlocks the secret language of the roads.
Oct 20, 2025•26 min
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.
Oct 13, 2025•23 min
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?
Oct 06, 2025•23 min
A Word in Your Ear: Female Phrasing
Professor Roly Sussex unpacks the different ways women communicate, and how these contrasts emerged.
Sep 29, 2025•23 min
A Word in Your Ear: Analysing the Alphabet
Professor Roly Sussex discusses the origins and uses of our 26 letters, and explains why we don't use a phonetic alphabet.
Sep 22, 2025•28 min
A Word in Your Ear: Languages of Papua New Guinea
Professor Roly Sussex is joined by ABC Radio Australia presenter Michael Chow, who speaks two and a half Papua New Guinean languages.
Sep 15, 2025•31 min
A Word in Your Ear: The Language of Advertising
Professor Roly Sussex unpacks the language of some of the most successful adverts and why they have stood the test of time.
Sep 08, 2025•20 min
A Word in Your Ear: Hedging
Do you call a spade a spade, or do you prefer to be a bit more gentle with the things you say? Professor Roly Sussex explores the use of hedging and why it's so common in the English language.
Sep 01, 2025•22 min
A Word in Your Ear: Insults of Yesteryear
Professor Roly Sussex explores how new insults have emerged and why some have disappeared from our vocabulary.
Aug 25, 2025•26 min
A Word in Your Ear: Food Phrases
Food isn't just something we eat, it's something we speak. Professor Roly Sussex takes a bite out of the language of food, exploring the different flavour of phrases across cultures.
Aug 18, 2025•23 min
A Word in Your Ear: Diminutives and Nicknames
Arvo, brekkie, sunnies, mozzie, servo...the list goes on. Professor Roly Sussex explains why us Aussies shorten our words more than anyone else.
Aug 11, 2025•24 min
A Word in Your Ear: Slang
Young people have always reshaped the way we speak, reinventing new lingo to distinguish themselves. Professor Roly Sussex unpacks how slang has evolved through the last few decades.
Aug 04, 2025•27 min
A Word in Your Ear: Open Slather
The English language has developed various regional and social norms that continue to cause confusion. Professor Roly Sussex addresses some of your most pressing English language questions.
Jul 28, 2025•27 min
A Word in Your Ear: The Language of Computers
The rise of computer technology forced the English language to adapt, and fast! But where did these words come from and how did they take root in our everyday language?
Jul 21, 2025•24 min
A Word in Your Ear: Successful Languages
What makes a language successful? Professor Roly Sussex discusses why some languages rise while others fade.
Jul 14, 2025•21 min
A Word in Your Ear: Pronunciation Problems
As the English language has evolved, various pronunciations, norms, and mistakes have formed. Professor Roly Sussex takes us through some of the most common examples.
Jul 07, 2025•23 min
A Word in Your Ear: Aussie Phrases
Grab a cuppa and gear up for a chinwag. Professor Roly Sussex has a yarn to explain great Aussie phrases.
Jun 30, 2025•22 min
A Word In Your Ear: Contronyms
When you "dust" something, are you removing the dust or adding it? Professor Roly Sussex unravels the double meanings of contronyms.
Jun 16, 2025•32 min
A Word in Your Ear: Free For All
Have you got a grammar gripe? Frustrated by a phrase? Professor Roly Sussex tackles your language queries.
Jun 09, 2025•22 min
A Word in Your Ear: Footy Names
Ever wondered how your favourite footy teams got their names? Professor Roly Sussex tackles the phrases of footy.
Jun 02, 2025•23 min
A Word in Your Ear: Alphabet
Did you know that 70% of the world's languages use alphabets similar to English? Professor Roly Sussex breaks down the building blocks of the English language: the alphabet.
May 26, 2025•24 min
A Word in Your Ear: Puns
If you make your kids cringe with dad jokes, this episode's for you! Professor Roly Sussex discusses the power of puns, and why language lovers keep the tradition alive.
May 19, 2025•21 min
A Word in Your Ear: Money
Whether you're rolling in it or down to your last cent, the words we use for money are rich with meaning. So this week, Professor Roly Sussex takes us through the dialect of the dollar.
May 12, 2025•28 min
A Word in Your Ear: Small Talk
"Hows the weather going?" "What have you been up to?" Small talk takes up a huge chunk of our daily conversation, but what role does it serve? Professor Roly Sussex explains the social purposes and expectations behind small talk.
May 05, 2025•21 min
A Word in Your Ear: Papal Phrases
The death of Pope Francis has set off a linguistic wave as words once reserved for church halls are now hitting the headlines. Professor Roly Sussex will guide you through the ancient language that's making a comeback.
Apr 28, 2025•21 min
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