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I talk about this relatively new word in English, which actually has its origin in science fiction. The word follows a common pattern for words that start with a very specific meaning in a field or discipline, and then once they're in use in standard English they develop their own meanings and history. I wrap up by comparing it to the word schizophrenic, which has behaved similarly, but with a bit of a twist.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR)
https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
https://sfdictionary.com/

Dictionary of Psychopathology, by Henry Kellerman
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/dictionary-of-psychopathology/9780231146517

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I talk about these two types of clichés to avoid. I use "verbal cliché" to mean hackneyed phrases and worn-out imagery that may have been imaginative and fresh at some time in the history of the language now, but has since gone stale. I use "narrative cliché" to mean the use of familiar tropes and situations in the story you are telling. This episode mostly is about fiction and film.

Garner's Modern English Usage
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/garners-modern-english-usage-9780197599020

Imagining and Knowing: The Shape of Fiction, by Gregory Currie
https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199656615.001.0001

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Have you ever wondered how kids in elementary school are taught how to write these days? Do they learn the ins and outs of grammar, or do they learn writing through practising? My guest today is directly involved in teaching this important skill as a full-time teacher in rural Vermont. Samantha Bovat is a writing practitioner as well, with a blog called The Life of a Teacher and a book that was published just last year: The Little Kids: Lessons Learned from Our Perspectives.

Book: The Little Kids, https://www.thelittlekids.us/

Website: https://www.samanthabovat.com/

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I talk about the figure of speech called paraprosdokian, and how it fits into the universe of rhetorical figures. It includes puns, too, and I provide examples of it in use.

LINKS

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian

From a Monty Python Sketch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmD8y0PJ2Vo&ab_channel=DougMonthy

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My guest today is Nancy Perpall, who is a former nurse as well as a former attorney who used to practice family law. She saw a lot of people from broad and diverse backgrounds experience the same despair when going through divorce. Last year she published a novel with characters looking for a life partner. Now she’s turned to non-fiction, and will soon be releasing her new book, The Malnourished Marriage: 5 Essential Emotional Nutrients for a Healthy Relationship. The book is not full of dull text and statistics: it is practical advice for those who want to know how to get the love and connection back that they once felt with their life partner. This is “Nutritious Love,” episode 171 of the podcast. Please listen.

Nancy’s Website
https://nancyperpall.com/

Nancy’s Novel
https://www.amazon.com/Around-Which-All-Things-Bend/dp/1665726105/

It’s Not About the Nail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg&ab_channel=JasonHeadley 

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My guest today is Steve Vincent, who talks about self-reflection and examining the issues and characteristics that make you who you are, and has some ideas for how to stay calm in the hectic and stressful world that most of us live in.

Steve's Website
https://stevevincentonline.com/

Steve's Book
https://stevevincentonline.com/finding-you/

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I talk about this word, its prefix, and other words that share the same prefix, meta- .

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My guest is Edward Miskie, author of a book with the great title, Cancer, Musical Theatre, and Other Chronic Illnesses, published in 2017 but now being adapted into a musical TV series. He was a simple joy to converse with: serious, funny, laid-back, honest and open.

LINKS

Edward Miskie's Website
https://linktr.ee/edwardmiskie

Cancer, Musical Theatre, and Other Chronic Illnesses
https://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Musical-Theatre-Chronic-Illnesses/dp/0578191881/

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My guest is Kristin Johnson, who is a writer, screenwriter, and ghost writer. She is the author of the award-winning and award-nominated book, Ain’t “U” Got No Manners?, a great book about social media etiquette that’s both accessible and well researched. She was a joy to talk to, not only about this book, but about parts of the rest of her writing career as well.

LINKS

Ain't "U" Got No Manners?
https://www.amazon.com/Aint-U-Got-No-Manners-ebook/dp/B01N9KX3YI/

Kristin Johnson's Website
https://www.kristinjohnson.net/

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I discuss the small town in Texas where they considered closing the public library system rather than follow a judge's order to reinstate 20 books of "pornographic filth" to the shelves.

Link:

"Texas county roiled by book ban considered closing libraries," CTV News, April 13, 2023
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/texas-county-roiled-by-book-ban-considered-closing-libraries-1.6355212

Credits:

Book cover images from Amazon.ca