
About this episode
The episode explores the unique language and accent of Liverpool, known as 'Scouse', through the insights of Tony Crowley and Michael Rosen.
As a port city Liverpool has long been open to a wide variety of global influences and languages that developed into a way of speaking that's termed 'Scouse' - from a word that probably originates in the Baltic region derived from the word 'lobscouse'. Tony Crowley grew up in the heart of Liverpool. When he left home and went to Oxford University he became increasingly aware of his accent and his interest in the way his fellow Liverpudlians use language grew. He has written two books on the subject. He and Michael Rosen discuss the rich and humorous language of the city. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Maggie Ayre in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz
People in this episode
Guest: Tony Crowley
Topics covered
- language
- accents
- cultural influences
- Liverpool
- Scouse
- humor
Keywords
- Scouse
- Liverpool
- language
- accents
- Tony Crowley
- Michael Rosen
- cultural influences
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Radio 4
Books & works: lobscouse
Places: Liverpool, Oxford University
More episodes of Word of Mouth
- Smell · June 11, 2026 · 28 min
- How did people speak throughout history? · June 4, 2026 · 28 min
- Words to Love the Living World · May 28, 2026 · 28 min
- The World of Words: editing, typography and print · May 21, 2026 · 28 min
- Oracy: We Need to Talk · May 14, 2026 · 28 min
- Michael Rosen and Dara Ó Briain talk about time · May 7, 2026 · 48 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Word of Mouth podcast page.