Which Helen Zaltzman podcast explores the English language?

The podcast in which Helen Zaltzman explores the English language is The Allusionist.

Zaltzman launched the linguistics podcast in January 2015, after establishing herself as a podcaster through Answer Me This! with Olly Mann. The Allusionist investigates how language works and changes, moving from word origins and pronunciation to slang, swearing, grammar, naming and the social forces that shape speech.

Its appeal comes from treating language as both a scholarly subject and an everyday mystery. Episodes may draw on linguists, lexicographers, writers or ordinary speakers, showing why apparently small questions—such as where a word came from or why an expression sounds offensive—can reveal history, power and cultural change.

The title is a pun on “allusion,” but the show should not be mistaken for Grammar Girl, Word Matters or Lexicon Valley. Those programmes also discuss language, yet The Allusionist is specifically associated with Zaltzman’s curious, humorous presentation and its broad focus on linguistics and English usage.