Big Ideas explored through Little Pictures.
It's certainly not a self-help podcast, but you might take something away that helps you notice or even enjoy the world around you a little more.
We offer up great conversations about ideas based on simple and insightful sketches in the Sketchplanations online collection, with the aim of giving listeners something fun and interesting to have their own conversations about.
This is an explainer podcast for the curious-minded. Topics covered include science, behavioural economics, wellbeing, nature, psychology frameworks, business models, cognitive biases, and even domestic life-hacks.
Sketchplanations illustrator and author Jono Hey joins lifelong friends Tom Pellereau (2011 Apprentice Winner) and Rob Bell (Engineer & Broadcaster) to share ideas and stories catalysed by each week's sketch. The 3 of us have been friends for over 20 years and have always enjoyed delving into all sorts of conversation topics - usually with some silliness along the way.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Big Ideas explored through Little Pictures.
It's certainly not a self-help podcast, but you might take something away that helps you notice or even enjoy the world around you a little more.
We offer up great conversations about ideas based on simple and insightful sketches in the Sketchplanations online collection, with the aim of giving listeners something fun and interesting to have their own conversations about.
This is an explainer podcast for the curious-minded. Topics covered include science, behavioural economics, wellbeing, nature, psychology frameworks, business models, cognitive biases, and even domestic life-hacks.
Sketchplanations illustrator and author Jono Hey joins lifelong friends Tom Pellereau (2011 Apprentice Winner) and Rob Bell (Engineer & Broadcaster) to share ideas and stories catalysed by each week's sketch. The 3 of us have been friends for over 20 years and have always enjoyed delving into all sorts of conversation topics - usually with some silliness along the way.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When describing something with numerous adjectives (eg. the big brown dog, the heavy square steel door) there's a natural order we all instinctively follow as english speakers. I don't remember ever being taught it, nor would I be able to explain it to you, but my ear can definitely tell if someone gets it wrong!
English adjectives follow a specific order. Who Knew?!?
Well, there's one person for sure:
What our special guest on this episode, award-winning author, journalist, and etymologist, Mark Forsyth, doesn't know about the English language, simply isn't worth knowing.
In our conversation, Mark breaks down the correct traditional ordering of adjectives. And Mark's passion for the English language becomes clear as he walks us through other nuances of English, such as Ablaut Reduplication (why it's Zig Zag and Splish-Splash rather than Zag-Zig or Splash-Splish), Chiasmus (inverting phrases in a speech eg. “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” — John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (1961)) and many more.
Additionally, in celebration of Mark's latest book; "Rhyme and Reason : A short history of Poetry and People (for people who don’t usually read poetry)" we talk about the history of poetry and its impact on readers from medieval times to the present. We learn how poetry was once widely shared and enjoyed socially (a bit like sharing memes on social media today) and how English has natural cadences and rhythm to it, that we all make use of every day - again, without having a clue that we're doing it. And we also learn why most of us have been thinking about poetry all wrong ever since school.
In the episode, we also reference Mark's other books such as The Etymologist and The Elements of Eloquence, which can all be found here.
And you can follow Mark's musings and love of language on his blog as The Inky Fool, on Twitter, and on Instagram.
Episode Summary
00:00 Welcome & Introduction to Mark Forsyth: Wordsmith Extraordinaire
01:05 Mark Forsyth's Journey with the English Language
01:44 The Fascinating World of Words and Their Origins
02:27 Mark Forsyth's Books and Their Unique Insights
06:32 The Popularity of Poetry Through the Ages
11:06 The Decline of Poetry and Rise of Pop Lyrics
12:48 Exploring English Syntax and Adjective Order
15:03 The Intricacies of English Grammar
21:38 Fun with Language: Reduplication and Compounds
27:38 Rhyme and Reason: Poetry in Society
29:27 The Unsung Heroes of Songwriting
30:42 The Evolution of Poetry's Popularity
41:33 The Rhythms of English Language
50:54 The Charm of Limericks
54:49 The Joy of Reading Poetry Aloud
56:45 Closing Thoughts and Farewell
All music on this podcast series is provided by the wonderfully talented Franc Cinelli.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.