The Allusionist

Learn about language.

Award-winning British podcast The Allusionist is a logophile’s dream.

Ever heard of Toki Pona (said to be ‘the smallest language in the world’) or indefinite hyperbolic numerals (‘zillions, jillions or squillions’)? Have you questioned Western yogic deployments of ‘namaste’, opening lines on dating apps, or dating systems of the BC, AD and BCE kind?

Producer and host Helen Zaltzman is here for you. A veteran podcaster with the long-running, hugely popular indie podcast Answer Me This! since 2007, Zaltzman created The Allusionist in 2015.

In each episode, she rumbles with language with infectious verve and a generous helping of pop culture.

Award-winning British podcaster Helen Zaltzman (aka The Allusionist) returns to the stage to rumble with language with infectious verve, and a generous helping of pop culture — with musical support from Martin Austwick.

About the speakers:
Helen Zaltzman is a multiple award-winning podcast host and producer. Her linguistics podcast The Allusionist was the first show created especially for the prestigious Radiotopia network. Answer Me This!, the comedy show she co-founded with Olly Mann in 2007, is one of Britain's most successful independent podcasts.

Martin Austwick is a podcaster, musician and singer-songwriter, and has released albums as Pale Bird, and songs about science as Dr Martin Austwick. He has performed music live for The Allusionist, 99% Invisible, The Bugle, and the Third Coast International Audio Awards, and contributed music for several podcasts. His podcast about every Tom Waits song is called Song by Song.