The Allusionist

Rachel Souhami, exhibition-maker and curator who writes museum displays and runs a live Museums Show-Off night. She talks about who actually reads wall text and why museums still write it. Short sentences, clear openings and label placement matter. Language choices age badly and funding, context and display design shape interpretation.

Antti Ies, contributor to Nuntii Latini who crafts modern Latin vocabulary for Finland’s weekly Latin news, talks about coining terms for computers and the internet. He debates pronunciation choices, weighing classical reconstruction against national tradition. They discuss Latin’s regularity, cultural role across Europe, and where to find modern Latin projects and resources.

Leon Wilson, a broadcast executive and TV producer, explains how broadcasters categorize and police swear words. He discusses why one particular curse shocks more, how regulation and tone shape censorship, and cultural differences in swearing. Short, lively takes on reclaiming taboo language and how rules keep swears impactful.

Remember when ‘viral’ used to only mean something bad, eg. something that would make you ill or destroy your computer? How things have changed. Tom Phillips from Buzzfeed UK explains the language they choose to make content go viral. Visit http://theallusionist.org/viral to find out more about this episode. Tweet @allusionistshow, and convene at facebook.com/allusionistshow.Support the show: http://patreon.com/allusionistSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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’. Visit http://theallusionist.org/bras to find out more about this episode. Tweet @allusionistshow, and convene at http://facebook.com/allusionistshow. Subscribe on iTunes at http://tinyurl.com/itunesAllusionist.Support the show: http://patreon.com/allusionistSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late 2014, China announced it was to ban puns. Helen Zaltzman wishes she could ban puns in her own family. Warning: this episode features some hideous incidences of wordplay. Visit http://theallusionist.org/puns to find out more about this episode. Tweet @allusionistshow, and convene at http://facebook.com/allusionistshow. Subscribe on iTunes http://tinyurl.com/iTunesAllusionist. Subscribe on iTunes at http://tinyurl.com/itunesAllusionist.Support the show: http://patreon.com/allusionistSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.