Lexitecture

Ryan Paulsen and Amy Hanlon

A Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) talking about the words in the English language that fascinate them most at the moment, looking at their histories and origins and trying to piece together just how they got to where they are today. This is a podcast for anyone interested in etymology (the study of words and their origins/history). If you've ever found yourself happier after discovering some bizarre bit of trivia about a word that you hadn't even given a second thought to (such as how the word 'trivia' relates to its Latin components meaning "three roads"), this might just be the podcast for you. read less
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Episodes

Episode 130: Object Between
Feb 17 2024
Episode 130: Object Between
In this episode, Amy explores the space "between", while Ryan is trying to figure out a connection between an "object" and the action itself. Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you! Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts!   Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group!   Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to.   Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture   Thanks!   PS - a note from Ryan: apologies to our wonderful listeners this episode - I'd been battling a wicked cough and general illness for several weeks and was only just getting over it to the point where I could make it through an episode, but I was pretty much constantly struggling to tamp down coughing fits every few minutes, hence my quite short segment and also my probably very annoying-to-listen-to somewhat pause-ridden speech pattern. I'm getting better, though, so that's good!
Episode 126: Not Long Ago, with Erin
Aug 1 2023
Episode 126: Not Long Ago, with Erin
In this episode, Amy is joined by a very special guest for a live, in-person and totally Canadian-less episode, featuring long-time listener and avid academic Word Nerd, Erin Bell! Erin is currently pursuing a Masters degree in linguistics at Trinity College, Dublin, and just happened to be in bonnie Scotland, where schedules and stars aligned to have her and Amy meet up to record an episode where they got to talk about Erin's studies, focused on American English idioms, and in particular, the fantastical four opening words: Once Upon A Time! Huge thanks to Erin, not only for taking time out of her studies and schedule to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with our show, but also for her years of listening, Patreon patronage, and general showboostery! Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you! Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts!   Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group!   Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to.   Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture   Thanks!
Episode 120: Align, Malign, Benign
Feb 3 2023
Episode 120: Align, Malign, Benign
In this episode, Ryan is exploring - at the behest of listener Liz - whether there's a connection between "align", "malign", and "benign". Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you! If you're listening to this as soon as it comes out, do head over to check out all the wondrous stuff on offer at this years LingComm conference! Amy and Ryan will be on a panel for a session called Podcasting 101, scheduled for February 6 at 4pm EST (check out that second link to figure out what time it'll be wherever you are in the world!) so hopefully we may see/hear some of you there! Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts!   Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group!   Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating on iTunes - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to.   Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture   Thanks!