Millions of Americans speak English, so why do we all sound so different? And what might accents of the future sound like? This hour, we explore the past, present, and future of regional accents–from Carter to Colin.

Plus, we discuss why hearing different regional accents might make us feel a certain way, and hear how international actors learn how to speak like Americans.

GUESTS: 


Margaret Renwick is an associate Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University studying accents and how they change.


Rebecca Gausnellis a dialect coach based in France, specializing in American accents. She has worked on shows including “The Boys”, “Industry”, and the upcoming “Anxious People”.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

Millions of Americans speak English, so why do we all sound so different? And what might accents of the future sound like? This hour, we explore the past, present, and future of regional accents&ndash;from Carter to Colin.
Plus, we discuss why hearing different regional accents might make us feel a certain way, and hear how international actors learn how to speak like Americans.
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/mrenwick/">Margaret Renwick</a> is an associate Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University studying accents and how they change.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.gausnell.com/">Rebecca Gausnell</a> is a dialect coach based in France, specializing in American accents. She has worked on shows including &ldquo;The Boys&rdquo;, &ldquo;Industry&rdquo;, and the upcoming &ldquo;Anxious People&rdquo;.
</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to&nbsp;The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by&nbsp;The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

The Colin McEnroe Show

Regional accents: Why we sound the way we do

Wehavedoneaversionofthisshoweverysingleyearsince2013. And we did it in 2011. We probably even did one in 2010. (We just can’t prove it.)

So it’s a bit of a tradition. It’s a tradition that … makes some people angry, we realize.

And that has a lot to do with how we define the term “song of the summer.” We use the Amanda Dobbins definition:

Let’s be clear about how this works: There is no such thing as a “personal” song of summer. We do not anoint multiple songs of summer. There can only be one; the Song of Summer, by its very definition, is a consensus choice. It is the song that wrecks wedding dance floors. It is the song that you and your mother begrudgingly agree on (even though your mom has no idea what rhymes with “hug me” and won’t stop yelling it in public). It does not necessarily have to hit No. 1 on the charts, but it should probably be on the charts because it must be widely played. It must bring people together. It must be a shared enthusiasm.

So it’s our job here to figure out what song from 2024 will get added to the long list of song of the summer classics like “Party Rock Anthem,” “Call Me Maybe,” “Despacito,” and “Blurred Lines.”

And if we’re wrong, well, it really just won’t matter at all.

GUESTS:
Xandra Ellin: Produces The Global Story for the BBC
Sam Hadelman: Director of public relations at Dark Matter Media
Dylan Reyes: Technical producer of The Colin McEnroe Show
Brendan Jay Sullivan: A writer, producer, and DJ best known for his work with Lady Gaga

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.

Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2025-06-12/song-of-the-summer-2025">We</a> <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2024-06-12/our-maybe-14th-almost-annual-song-of-the-summer-show">have</a> <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2023-06-14/our-maybe-13th-almost-annual-song-of-the-summer-show">done</a> <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2022-06-08/our-maybe-12th-almost-annual-song-of-the-summer-show">a</a> <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/arts-and-culture/2021-06-09/our-10th-or-11th-almost-annual-song-of-the-summer-show">version</a> <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/our-9th-or-10th-almost-annual-song-summer-show">of</a> <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/2019-song-summer">this</a> <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/2018-song-summer">show</a> <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/2017-song-summer">every</a> <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/2016-song-summer">single</a> <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/song-summer-2015">year</a> <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/songs-summer-2014">since</a> <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/summer-songs-2013-wally-joan-and-eric-0">2013</a>. And we did it in <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/song-summer">2011</a>. We probably even did one in 2010. (We just can&rsquo;t prove it.)
So it&rsquo;s a bit of a tradition. It&rsquo;s a tradition that &hellip; makes some people angry, we realize.
And that has a lot to do with how we define the term &ldquo;song of the summer.&rdquo; We use <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/we-deserve-a-better-song-of-summer.html">the Amanda Dobbins definition</a>:
Let&rsquo;s be clear about how this works: There is no such thing as a &ldquo;personal&rdquo; song of summer. We do not anoint multiple songs of summer. There can only be one; the Song of Summer, by its very definition, is a consensus choice. It is the song that wrecks wedding dance floors. It is the song that you and your mother begrudgingly agree on (even though your mom has no idea <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%22what%20rhymes%20with%20hug%20me%22&amp;src=typd">what rhymes with &ldquo;hug me&rdquo;</a> and won&rsquo;t stop yelling it in public). It does not necessarily have to hit No. 1 on the charts, but it should probably be on the charts because it must be widely played. It must bring people together. It must be a shared enthusiasm.
So it&rsquo;s our job here to figure out what song from 2024 will get added to the long list of song of the summer classics like &ldquo;Party Rock Anthem,&rdquo; &ldquo;Call Me Maybe,&rdquo; &ldquo;Despacito,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Blurred Lines.&rdquo;
And if we&rsquo;re wrong, well, it really just won&rsquo;t matter at all.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Xandra Ellin: Produces The Global Story for the BBC</li>
<li>Sam Hadelman: Director of public relations at Dark Matter Media</li>
<li>Dylan Reyes: Technical producer of The Colin McEnroe Show</li>
<li>Brendan Jay Sullivan: A writer, producer, and DJ best known for his work with Lady Gaga</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.
Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/donate">Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today</a>.

Song of the summer, 2026

COVID has caused more than 7 million confirmed deaths (and estimates of the actual total go well past 20 million).

Here’s the even worse news: It wasn’t the truly devastating pandemic epidemiologists have feared for decades.

But here’s the good news: We learned every possible lesson from COVID, and now we’re utterly prepared for the next big pandemic that’s inevitably barreling towards us.

No. Wait. Maybe I’ve gotten that last bit wrong.

This hour, Michael Osterholm, founding director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, joins us to talk about the dreaded potential “big one” and what we need to do to be ready.

GUEST:


Michael T. Osterholm: Founding director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and the co-author of The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):


Rock and Roll Doctor - Little Feat


Don’t Let Us Get Sick - Warren Zevon


Soul Vaccination - Tower of Power


I Need A Doctor - The Nields


A Good Life - Jill Sobule

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.

Colin McEnroe contributed to this show, which originally aired October 9, 2025.

COVID has caused more than 7 million confirmed deaths (and estimates of the actual total go well past 20 million).
Here&rsquo;s the even worse news: It wasn&rsquo;t the truly devastating pandemic epidemiologists have feared for decades.
But here&rsquo;s the good news: We learned every possible lesson from COVID, and now we&rsquo;re utterly prepared for the next big pandemic that&rsquo;s inevitably barreling towards us.
No. Wait. Maybe I&rsquo;ve gotten that last bit wrong.
This hour, Michael Osterholm, founding director of the <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/">Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy</a>, joins us to talk about the dreaded potential &ldquo;big one&rdquo; and what we need to do to be ready.
GUEST:
<ul>
<li>
Michael T. Osterholm: Founding director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and the co-author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/michael-t-osterholm-phd-mph/the-big-one/9780316258340/">The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics</a>
</li>
</ul>
MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/z3LNhZ7msI4">Rock and Roll Doctor</a> - Little Feat
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj8T3PNiHr4">Don&rsquo;t Let Us Get Sick</a> - Warren Zevon
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJuIL0w6-gc">Soul Vaccination</a> - Tower of Power
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/rMVBBT2hBN8">I Need A Doctor</a> - The Nields
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEV1-WQTBw">A Good Life</a> - Jill Sobule
</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting&nbsp;<a href="http://ctpublic.org/donate">ctpublic.org/donate</a>.
Colin McEnroe contributed to this show, which originally aired October 9, 2025.

A look at the next pandemic with Michael T. Osterholm

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.

This hour, the conversation — helmed this time by our old pal Chion Wolf! — winds around to the Connecticut Theatre Exchange, Chion’s mom, talking to strangers, America250, Theo of Golden by Allen Levi … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.

Music featured (in order):
The Windmills Of Your Mind - Oscar Peterson Trio
Starting Line – Cory Wong, Emily Browning
Like A Rembrandt – Julianna Riolino
CUT FOR TIME Hail Mary – Dan Croll
In A Good Way – Faye Webster
CUT FOR TIME Phone a Friend – Ginger Root
Don’t Want It to Be Over – Joey Dosik, Coco O.

We&rsquo;ve been doing these shows where we don&rsquo;t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.
This hour, the conversation &mdash; helmed this time by our old pal Chion Wolf! &mdash; winds around to the&nbsp;<a href="https://cttheatrex.org/">Connecticut Theatre Exchange</a>, Chion&rsquo;s mom, talking to strangers, America250,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.allenlevi.com/the-book">Theo of Golden</a>&nbsp;by Allen Levi &hellip; Anything. (Seemingly) everything.
These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-3JgSbjSuY">The Windmills Of Your Mind</a>&nbsp;- Oscar Peterson Trio</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5kleAl2ym4">Starting Line</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Cory Wong, Emily Browning</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEHJA2HN8ag">Like A Rembrandt</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Julianna Riolino</li>
<li>CUT FOR TIME&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P81d-I205I8">Hail Mary</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Dan Croll</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9wrkFWbTs">In A Good Way</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Faye Webster</li>
<li>CUT FOR TIME&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M-kpMUmBbQ">Phone a Friend</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Ginger Root</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhJv7r-Urqo">Don&rsquo;t Want It to Be Over</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Joey Dosik, Coco O.</li>
</ul>

Regional accents: Why we sound the way we do

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