16 October 2004
Saturday 16 October 2004 21:35-22:20 (Radio 3)
Ian McMillan presents the late night showcase of new writing, found language and hi-octane performance. This week he explores the perplexing subject of spelling - its history, uses and misuses - with the help of Linguistics professor Vivan Cook, author of Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary. Plus, the singer Barb Jungr will be performing a specially commissioned song about spelling, and there'll be a chance to hear a new radio drama from the acclaimed Irish writer Ronan Bennett.
Programme Details
This week Ian McMillan presents a Verb spelling extravaganza.
Twice Booker Prize shortlisted Andre Brink has been one of South Africa's most prominent novelists and academics for over twenty five years. A leading opponent of apartheid, he joins Ian McMillan to talk about the cultural and historical imprints held in the spelling of words, the power of language as a means of social control, and the duality of writing in both Afrikaans and English at the same time. His novels include 'A Dry White Season', 'Devil's Valley', 'The Rights of Desire' (all published by Vintage) and his latest, 'Before I Forget' (Secker & Warburg).
Kathy Rooney, editor of the Bloomsbury English Dictionary, which includes both accurate spellings and also for the first time a thousand common misspellings (crossed out, so as not to confuse), and Vivian Cook, Professor of Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University and author of 'Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary' (published by Profile Books - and yes those misspellings are deliberate!), explore the new sexiness of spelling.
The singer and songwriter Barb Jungr and pianist Adrian York perform their new song 'If You Can Spell', written specially for The Verb. If you want to see them in performance they'll be at the 606 Club in Chelsea on Sunday Oct ober 17th 2004. For further information and tour dates go to www.barbjungr.co.uk.
And Ken Campbell, actor, poet, and long-time campaigner for Vanuatu Pidgin as an international language, talks about his fascination with the language and its spellings, and renders part of Shakespeare's Macbeth into Pidgin. For more information on all Ken's projects go to his website at www.tentringer.co.uk.
