The Endless Knot

Marcie Sundaram & Aven McMaster
  • 4.7 (50)
  • History
  • Updated Monthly

Aven & Marcie discuss etymology, history, literature, language, and cocktails, and the sometimes surprising connections between them all.

  1. 2d ago

    True Color, with Kory Stamper

    We talked to Kory Stamper, lexicographer and author, about the unexpectedly gripping story of the struggle to define colours and wrestle the kaleidoscope of our social, scientific, artistic, sartorial, and commercial understanding of hues into some sort of order. This is truly one of our favourite books we’ve ever read for this podcast! Kory’s book True Color Kory Stamper’s website Transcript of this episode This episode on YouTube Our Patreon page Redbubble store This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License The Endless Knot RSS

  2. Jun 16

    Accents, with Valerie Fridland

    What does your accent say about you? (And yes, you DO have an accent!) Why do accents develop, and what is the history behind the wide range of modern American accents? We talked to Valerie Fridland about all of these questions and more, covered in her delightful new book “Why We Talk Funny”. Valerie’s book “Why We Talk Funny” Like, Literally, Dude! and our interview with her about it Dr. Valerie Fridland’s website Transcript of this episode This episode on YouTube Our Patreon page Redbubble store This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License The Endless Knot RSS

  3. May 19

    The Alphabet, with Danny Bate

    We spoke with linguist, writer and podcaster Dr Danny Bate about his debut book, Why Q Needs U, a “linguistico-historical non-fiction book” that sets out to answer two big questions: Where did we get the letters of the alphabet from? And why does English use them so strangely? We had a delightful conversation about the book, his podcast, Indo-European, and cats! Danny’s book “Why Q Needs U” Transcript of this episode This episode on YouTube Our Patreon page Redbubble store This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License The Endless Knot RSS

    The Alphabet, with Danny Bate

  4. Season 10, Episode 124 Trailer

    Season 10 Trailer

    An apology for absence, some personal news, and the guests coming in the next few months. Transcript of this episode This episode on YouTube Our Patreon page Redbubble store This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License The Endless Knot RSS

  5. 12/17/2024

    Words Christmas Gave Us, with Grace Tierney

    Grace Tierney is back with another great book about the word origins, this time “Words Christmas Gave Us"! She regales us with festive stories and we talk about some of the fun traditions and treats of the winter holidays. It’s been a long, unintended break since our last episode, but we’re happy to be back at it, in time to wish everyone very happy holidays! Wordfoolery website Transcript of this episode This episode on YouTube Our Patreon page Redbubble store This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License The Endless Knot RSS

  6. 05/01/2024

    Says Who, with Anne Curzan

    We spoke with Dr. Anne Curzan about her new book, “Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares about Words”. We talk about language change, inner grammandos, the benefits of learning the rules of texting from one’s students, and of course, surprising connections! Also, please check out the Defeat Depression fundraising event, and the Sudbury Walk/Run on May 25. Anne Curzan’s website Transcript of this episode This episode on YouTube Our Patreon page Redbubble store This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License The Endless Knot RSS

  7. 03/31/2024

    The Vesuvius Challenge, with Stephen Parsons

    Buried deep under volcanic ash lie hundreds of burnt scrolls containing texts from the first century. A new project is driving the work to try to read these chunks of carbon, to uncover new works and open new doors into the past. We spoke to one of the leaders of this project, Dr. Stephen Parsons, about the Vesuvius Challenge, the technical aspects of ‘virtual unrolling’, the possibilities of new classical texts, the development of new ways of doing scholarship, and more. Also, please check out the Defeat Depression fundraising event, and the Sudbury Walk/Run on May 25. The Vesuvius Challenge Kaitlyn Hill’s books Transcript of this episode This episode on YouTube Our Patreon page Redbubble store This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License The Endless Knot RSS

  8. 02/29/2024

    Swimming in History, with Karen Carr

    We talked to Dr. Karen Carr about the global history of swimming — in myth, folktale, and history. Who swam, who didn’t, and how do the stories different cultures told reflect these patterns? We also talked a bit about Dr. Carr’s next book, all about silver, women, and textiles. Dr. Carr’s academic website Dr. Carr’s history website and blog, Quatr.us Transcript of this episode This episode on YouTube Our Patreon page Redbubble store This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License The Endless Knot RSS

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Trailer

4.7
out of 5
50 Ratings

About

Aven & Marcie discuss etymology, history, literature, language, and cocktails, and the sometimes surprising connections between them all.

Information

  • Creator
    Marcie Sundaram & Aven McMaster
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    137
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
  • Show Website
    The Endless Knot

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