The Allusionist

Series produced by The Allusionist

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Small adventures in language with Helen Zaltzman. Visit http://theallusionist.org

Small adventures in language with Helen Zaltzman. Visit http://theallusionist.org


27 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
The Allusionist 5: Latin Lives!
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Every week since September 1989, a radio station in Finland has broadcast a weekly news bulletin...in Latin.

Bought by KALW and PRX Remix


  • Added: Feb 26, 2015
  • Length: 12:12
  • Purchases: 2
The Allusionist 3: Going Viral
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Remember when 'viral' used to only mean something bad, IE something that would make you ill or destroy your computer?

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Jan 28, 2015
  • Length: 15:05
  • Purchases: 1
The Allusionist 2: Bosom Holder
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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There are many synonyms for 'underwear'. There are many synonyms for the body parts you keep in your underwear. But there's only one word for 'bra'...

  • Added: Jan 15, 2015
  • Length: 13:31
The Allusionist 1: Ban the Pun
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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In late 2014, China announced it was to ban puns. Helen Zaltzman wishes she could ban puns in her own family.

  • Added: Jan 15, 2015
  • Length: 16:21
Allusionist 31: Post-Love
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Breaking up is hard to do, and it's hard to put into appropriate words. Comedian Rosie Wilby seeks a better term for 'ex', and family law barrister...

  • Added: Mar 06, 2016
  • Length: 18:28
Allusionist 30: US Election Lexicon
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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The 2016 US election isn't going away anytime soon, so let's seek refuge in etymology. Consider the linguistically appropriate age of a senator, an...

  • Added: Feb 25, 2016
  • Length: 36:05
Allusionist 29: WLTM part II
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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You're looking for your perfect partner, but dating sites keep matching you with duds. So what do you do? Conduct an elaborate linguistic experimen...

  • Added: Feb 06, 2016
  • Length: 41:57
Allusionist 28: WLTM part I
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Your online dating profile is the latest spin on a 300-year-old tradition of advertising yourself in order to find a spouse, a sexual partner, or s...

  • Added: Feb 03, 2016
  • Length: 41:08
Allusionist 25: Toki Pona
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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There’s a language which is said to be the smallest language in the world. It has around 123 words, five vowels, nine consonants, and apparently yo...

Bought by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation


  • Added: Dec 14, 2015
  • Length: 20:24
  • Purchases: 1
Allusionist 24: Spill Your Guts
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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It's cathartic; it's a useful historical record; and it might help you behave better on public transport. Neil Katcher and Dave Nadelberg from Mort...

  • Added: Dec 14, 2015
  • Length: 18:58
Allusionist 23: Criminallusionist
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer from the podcast Criminal stop by to talk about the linguistic challenges of crime reporting. They also share their...

  • Added: Nov 02, 2015
  • Length: 23:05
Allusionist 22: Vocables
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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La la la, dum di di dum, a wop bop a loo bop a wop bom bom - what are all those non-words doing masquerading as words in songs? Hrishikesh Hirway f...

  • Added: Oct 24, 2015
  • Length: 13:44
Allusionist 21. Eponyms I: The Ballad of Bic and Biro
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Naming something after yourself: a grand display of egomania, or the humble willingness to be overshadowed by your own product? Stationery expert J...

  • Added: Oct 24, 2015
  • Length: 17:56
Allusionist 20: Baby Talk
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Why do we all sound like idiots when we talk to babies?

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass. and PRX Remix


  • Added: Oct 08, 2015
  • Length: 11:37
  • Purchases: 2
Allusionist 19: Architecting About Dance
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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“Talking about music is like dancing about architecture” is a problematic statement: not just because nobody can agree on who came up with it, but ...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., WABE, and PRX Remix


  • Added: Sep 24, 2015
  • Length: 27:04
  • Purchases: 3
Allusionist 18: Fix part II
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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The messiness of English is the price of its success. It is the most widely spoken language in the world, geographically, being an official languag...

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Sep 14, 2015
  • Length: 28:03
  • Purchases: 1
Allusionist 16: Word Play
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Words are all over the place. So how do you turn them into fun games? Here to show the way is Leslie Scott, founder of Oxford Games and inventor of...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass. and PRX Remix


  • Added: Aug 14, 2015
  • Length: 27:35
  • Purchases: 2
Allusionist 12: Pride
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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It’s June; the President of the USA has officially designated it LGBT Pride Month, and there’ll be Pride events around the world. But how did the w...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., KZMU Moab Community Radio, and PRX Remix


  • Added: Jun 03, 2015
  • Length: 14:08
  • Purchases: 3
Allusionist 6: The Writing On The Wall
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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Those words on museum walls that you can't be bothered to read? They're more important than you think...

Bought by WABE and PRX Remix


  • Added: Mar 12, 2015
  • Length: 15:14
  • Purchases: 2
Allusionist 7: Mountweazel
From: The Allusionist
Series: The Allusionist
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You'd think you could trust dictionaries, but it turns out, they are riddled with LIES.

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Mar 26, 2015
  • Length: 15:26
  • Purchases: 1

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