Why did you change your name? And why did you choose the name you chose?Listeners answer these two questions. Hear their stories of gender identity, family fallouts, marriages, divorces, doxxing, cults, and…just not liking your given name very much.Find more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/name-changers.This episode is part of Name Season here at the Allusionist, along with episode 83. Yes, As In, about having a name that is more usually a noun or adjective; 86. Name Therapy, about the issues people face with their names; and 87. Name v. Law, about the Icelandic Naming Committee and a name change that took 25 years.The Allusionist live tour is ON NOW, at cities in the US and Canada during October and November 2018: show listings are at http://theallusionist.org/events.The Allusionist’s online home is http://theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow.The Allusionist is a member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm.Thanks to today’s sponsors:SQUARESPACE. Design your website at squarespace.com/allusion, and use the offer code ALLUSION to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.BOMBAS. Shop for expertly engineered socks at bombas.com/allusionist and save 20% by entering the offer ALLUSIONIST in the checkout code space.
Adam Gelatt
hell yeah
Luke Baylie
Clarke Gable did work as a lumber Jack in his youth.
Eric Anderson
words can have subtleties and nuances of meaning of course but when does a word cease to be that word? gossip may contain some truth but inherently the word mean not trustworthy and damaging.
Luke Baylie
Eric Anderson did you not listen to the episode?
Anyssa Ball
I knew aglet because of Phineas and Ferb
Addy Gator
I love the show! You're the wordiest gal on my playlist. I can't get enough word knowledge. Thank you for being awesome!
Richard Napolitano
Nobody other than J.R.R. Tolkien created the multiple versions of elven languages used in Lord of the Rings. He was a linguistic expert and made all of the languages used in the LOTR universe.
Kyle Miller
I love this episode. I've listened to it repeatedly!
Cheesecake Lasagna
I haven't even heard a single clippet from this podcast but the visuals got me already! Graphic designer-orgasmic. lol
Lisa Liggins
E.11. Dan sounds just like Stephen Colbert. I couldn't get over it.
Miaozi Li
I would say "I meh the Beatles"
Luke Baylie
imagineer! I recently got to hang out with one. Very interesting guy. From Disney to NASA he's made some cool stuff
Ellen Broadley
l it it l it I you like
Tom Dalliston
is this episode directly copied from word of mouth on BBC radio 4?
iTunes User
I listened to the first two podcasts and was amazed as its witty fun and has a lot of little history info in each segment that shows how much work the podcaster put into research, yet it's edited down into a quick 15 -20 minute session in case you have a short attention span so that there is no danger of you having to rewind because your mind wandered off somewhere! Looking forward to the third podcast! Bruce
iTunes User
What a voice, what fun: quick and quick-witted podcasts that pack so much into so few minutes.
iTunes User
Yes! We've finally got a podcaster who doesn't mince words in her practice of mincing their meanings. More than just linguistics, The Allusionist takes a crack at history, culture and current affairs with a cheeky wit that almost smarts. Worst thing about this podcast is the wait—2 weeks between episodes? Oh where will I get my word on till then? Maybe if I listen to Lexicon Valley at double speed mashed up with reruns of Language Bites, then I'll come close, but really Helen, must you be so allusive? Yes, you must. Best new pod of 2015!
Jim Driscoll
Helen is a snarky pedant, just like me. Love her show.