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PODCAST

The Endless Knot

Mark Sundaram & Aven McMaster

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

history documentary

All Episodes

01:17:56

Episode 123: Words Christmas Gave Us, with Grace Tierney

The Endless Knot ·

2024/12/17

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 websiteTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageRedbubble storeThis podcast is licensed under aCreative

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01:01:05

Episode 122: Says Who, with Anne Curzan

The Endless Knot ·

2024/05/01

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 websiteTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageRedbubble storeThis podcast is

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01:11:28

Episode 121: The Vesuvius Challenge, with Stephen...

The Endless Knot ·

2024/03/31

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

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00:59:01

Episode 120: Swimming in History, with Karen Carr

The Endless Knot ·

2024/02/29

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 websiteDr. Carr’s history website and blog, Quatr.usTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageRedbubble storeThis podcast is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike

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01:34:31

Episode 119: An Ecological Chain

The Endless Knot ·

2024/01/31

We discuss the language and history of the ecological sciences, all the way back to the ancient Greeks, and the development of the food chain and food web models of ecological systems. And apologies for the unscheduled hiatus! Golden Chain CocktailFood Web videoCuckold video and podcast Frank N. Egerton. “A History of the Ecological Sciences: Early Greek Origins”, Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 82.1 (2001): 93-97 ———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 2: Aristotle and

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01:21:01

Episode 118: A Crisis of Masculinity, with Melanie...

The Endless Knot ·

2023/08/31

We talk to Melanie Racette-Campbell about her new book, “The Crisis of Masculinity in the Age of Augustus”, and discuss why Roman elite men were particularly vulnerable to a societal transformation that changed their role in the state. What did it mean to be a good man in ancient Rome, and how and why did that change?Melanie’s book is available hereTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageRedbubble storeThis podcast is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike

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01:21:01

Episode 117: A Brief History of Misogyny

The Endless Knot ·

2023/07/04

The word “chauvinism” is an unlikely eponym, but it turns out that the story behind it has all sorts of interesting connections. And our discussion of those connections also leads us into the long history of misogyny in the western world, from Eve and Pandora to the Virgin Mary, courtly love, and Victorian womanhood. Cocktail: Pandora’s Jar, from Nectar of the Gods“By Jingo” songHesiod’s Works and DaysHesiod’s TheogonySemonides 7Transcript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon

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01:25:14

Episode 116: A Quiverful of Time Arrows

The Endless Knot ·

2023/05/30

We look at the history of English’s conceptualization of time, and update Mark’s research on spatiotemporal metaphor. Also, words for arrows, the surprising origin of ‘toxic’, and a bit of Latin poetry!Blue Arrow cocktailBow and Arrow cocktailTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageRedbubble storeThis podcast is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

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01:25:14

Episode 115: Like, Literally, Dude! with Valerie...

The Endless Knot ·

2023/04/25

We spoke to Dr. Valerie Fridland about her new book, “Like, Literally, Dude!” and talked about the fascinating role that many ‘errors’ in English speech actually play in communication. We discuss the never-ending changes that English has gone through, the surprisingly sophisticated rules behind our use of ‘um’ and ‘uh’, and much more.Dr. Valerie Fridland’s websiteLike, Literally, Dude!Transcript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageRedbubble storeThis podcast is licensed under

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01:12:55

Episode 114a: The XYZ’s of Spelling

The Endless Knot ·

2023/04/04

It’s Part 2 of our mega-episode on spelling! This time, we get into some of the notorious mismatches between English spelling and modern English pronunciation. Explaining them takes us all the way back to Phoenician — several times — but maybe, just maybe, some bits of this odd language will make more sense to you when we’re done!The XYZ CocktailOur video on “Spelling”Christopher Upward & George Davidson, The History of English Spelling (2001)David Sacks, Letter Perfect (2003)Kevin Stroud, The

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01:12:04

Episode 114: The ABC’s of Spelling

The Endless Knot ·

2023/03/28

We’re wading into the messy world of English spelling in this episode — the first of two, since we couldn’t fit all of the ‘quirks’ of the language into one episode. The history of orthography in English is all tangled up with the history of the alphabet, so in this part we trace some of the twists and turns that resulted in our modern script. The ABC CocktailOur video on “Spelling”Christopher Upward & George Davidson, The History of English Spelling (2001)David Sacks, Letter Perfect (2003)Kevin

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01:14:57

Bonus: Livestream Q&A from LingFest23

The Endless Knot ·

2023/02/28

In this bonus episode, we answer questions from viewers and listeners during a livestream on our YouTube channel, as part of #LingFest23. Apologies for the sound quality, which isn’t great.Also, sorry that we didn’t manage a regular episode in February, but we’ll definitely have one in March.LingComm23LingFest@AllEndlessKnot@toot.communityTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageRedbubble storeThis podcast is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0

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00:00:56

Announcement: LingFest23 Q&A Livestream

The Endless Knot ·

2023/02/09

Just a reminder that we’ll be doing a Q&A livestream on our YouTube channel as part of LingFest in connection to the LingComm23 Conference on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 1:00pm Eastern. Please leave us your questions on this website, email us, or post on social media, or just show up on the day at the livestream.The livestream will be here, just click on Sunday afternoon to join in!

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01:21:23

Episode 113: Ovid's Metamorphoses in the 21st Century

The Endless Knot ·

2023/01/31

In this episode we talk to the authors of two new books on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the Latin epic poem he wrote in 8 CE. Stephanie McCarter has published a new translation of the poem, and Gareth Williams has written a short interpretive introductory work on the epic to go with the Columbia Core Curriculum. We talked with both of them about the way Ovid fits into contemporary society, what considerations there are when teaching this epic, and the joys and difficulties of engaging with Ovid’s poetic

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01:26:26

Episode 112: The Bellini, Art, and Patronage

The Endless Knot ·

2022/12/29

As we get ready to mark the new year, it seems a good time to talk about a classic cocktail made with sparkling wine: the Bellini. Our conversation takes us to Italy, in the 20th century, the 15th century, and the 1st century BCE, to Renaissance art and the Roman practice of patronage, and more. Happy New Year!“Rewriting the history of art patronage”, by Jaynie Anderson. Renaissance Studies. Vol. 10, No. 2, Women Patrons of Renaissance Art, 1300–1600 (JUNE 1996), pp. 129-138. “Isabella d'Este and

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01:10:18

Episode 111: Haggard Hawks, back again!

The Endless Knot ·

2022/11/29

We welcome back Paul Anthony Jones, of Haggard Hawks fame, to ell us about his new book “Why Is This a Question?”. We talk about how his experience of social media has changed since we last interviewed him in 2016, what it was like researching a book covering such wide-ranging topics, the state of the publishing industry, and more.Haggard HawksOur previous interview with Paul (episode 21)Citogenesis (the Wikipedia citation problem) coined in xkcd comicRidley, R. T. “To Be Taken with a Pinch of Salt:

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01:30:19

Episode 110: Music and Language

The Endless Knot ·

2022/10/29

We talk about the origins of music, its connection (both etymological and scientific) with the mind, how language is used to describe and teach music, the Muses, and the Museum of Alexandria. Also featuring brief cameos from music YouTuber 12Tone.Monk’s Muse Cocktail12Tone’s video “Why Do Notes Have Names?” Ghost Notes Podcast“Future” videoMurdoch Mysteries episode “The Dominion of New South Mimico”Language: The Cultural Tool by Daniel EverettErskine, Andrew. “Culture and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt:

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01:02:43

Episode 109: Endangered Alphabets, with Tim Brookes

The Endless Knot ·

2022/09/13

We spoke with Tim Brooks of the Endangered Alphabets project about the cultural importance of scripts, the pressures on marginalized and isolated scripts, his beautiful wood carvings, and the various initiatives he and his group have been working on to support script revitalization and creation around the world.Website: Endangered AlphabetsInhabit MediaTwitter: @endangeredalphaInstagram: @endangeredalphasTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageRedbubble storeThis podcast is

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01:22:01

Episode 108: Widows, Indian Independence, and Partition

The Endless Knot ·

2022/08/10

Commemorating the 6th anniversary of the death of Mark’s father, and the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, this episode connects widows and partition, and while also touching on the legacy of Alexander the Great, the origins of badminton and tennis, and obscure typesetting vocabulary.Merry Widow Cocktail Black Widow CocktailOlson, Kelly. “Fringed Clothing in Roman Iconography and Written Sources.” Textiles in Ancient Mediterranean Iconography, edited by SUSANNA HARRIS et al., Oxbow Books,

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01:01:31

Episode 107: Polar Regions, Comics, and Classics,...

The Endless Knot ·

2022/07/12

We have a very fun conversation with Dr. Natalie Swain about her work on classical reception and the polar regions — the Arctic and Antarctic — science fiction, and comics. And Natalie and Mark find lots of overlaps and connections between their interests!“Between the Sheets: Reading the Coverlet as Comics in Catullus 64.” Image [&] Narrative 22.2 (2021)Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics@mazonianfeline#ClassicsTwitterComicsTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon

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