Main content

How Shakespeare Spoke

How did Shakespeare speak? Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright are joined by linguist David Crystal and actor Ben Crystal to look at the fashion for original pronunciation.

Forget Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft, Al Pacino and Judi Dench. To take us back to Shakespeare's own time Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright hear Shakespeare as he himself would have spoken. The original, unvarnished version from linguist David Crystal and actor Ben Crystal. They look at the fashion for Original Pronunciation and ask what it can tell us about how we speak now.

Michael and Laura perform some of Shakespeare's best known work in the original accent and attempt to bring new meaning and wit to language coated by centuries of veneer.

Producer: Mair Bosworth.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Mon 1 Feb 2016 23:00

Broadcasts

  • Tue 26 Jan 2016 16:00
  • Mon 1 Feb 2016 23:00

From blunk to brickfielder: our wonderful words for weather

From blunk to brickfielder: our wonderful words for weather

Exploring creative descriptions for wind, rainfall and sunny spells from around the world

Digital body language – how to communicate better online

Digital body language – how to communicate better online

We need to find new ways of talking to each other “virtually”.

Coinages that changed the world – and some that tried to...

Coinages that changed the world – and some that tried to...

Exploring the hidden histories of obscure words, and common buzz phrases.

Ittibitium, borborygmus, and Ba humbugi – 14 wonderful science words you’ve never heard of

Ittibitium, borborygmus, and Ba humbugi – 14 wonderful science words you’ve never heard of

Michael Rosen puts the language of science under the microscope.

Download this programme

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.

Keywords for Our Time

Keywords for Our Time

Series of programmes examining key phrases in public debate.

Smiley face: Seven things you didn't know about emoji

Smiley face: Seven things you didn't know about emoji

Some facts about emoji - possibly the world's first truly global form of communication.

The funny words that kids invent

The funny words that kids invent

Have a look at some of the fantastic words that children invent and reimagine.

Podcast