If what I'm listening to is interesting, I listen; if not, I drop off to sleep. There's nothing more interesting than listening to Kate Burridge who's written several books on the English language.
My favourite is her book "Blooming English: Observations on the roots, cultivation and hybrids of the English Language". It celebrates our capacity to play with language, as well as examining the ways we use it: in slang and jargon, swearing, speaking the unspeakable, or concealing unpleasant or inconvenient facts. It is a book for browsing, for finding beguiling snippets about language, history and social customs, and for using as a formidable weapon in word games. If you like words and language and the history of how it developed, this is the book for you.
But first listen to her podcast ...
P.S. Don't mind me: I carry right on here.
