The English language

MRC · Jul 27, 2023

We have had a few threads on what members are reading / have read / tried to read but failed, pretty much all in English (with a one participant who reads ancient Greek). Today I discovered a podcast on how and why the English language is the way it is.

Currently standing at 189 ~one hour episodes there is a lot of listening there and it has only reached the time of Shakespeare. I intend to start at the beginning and work in chronological order as here: https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/episodes/ but my random first taste is an example of the style and quality: https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/2023/04/24/episode-167-the-rhythm-of-english/

I hope you enjoy.

TimeODanaos · Jul 27, 2023

Good grief - there's a whole Master's degree here! I mean, that's 60+ episodes before the Normans, and America won't get the treatment until about 300!
I'm game to try though (I forgot most of my IRL one), so thanks for this. A little, anyway. Who are the people behind this effort?
And... good luck!

MRC · Jul 27, 2023

TimeODanaos
Good grief - there's a whole Master's degree here! I mean, that's 60+ episodes before the Normans, and America won't get the treatment until about 300!
I'm game to try though (I forgot most of my IRL one), so thanks for this. A little, anyway. Who are the people behind this effort?
And... good luck!

AFAICT it's a one man effort.

My name is Kevin Stroud, and I am the writer, producer and host of the History of English Podcast. Since the summer of 2012, I have attempted to tell the story of the English language from its ultimate origins to one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world.

https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/about/

noelekal · Jul 27, 2023

Mrs. noelekal and I would enjoy this.

Thanks for providing the link.

Vercingetorix · Jul 27, 2023

They at least could spell podcast in English.

TimeODanaos · Jul 27, 2023

A pode castour ther was, y-clept Kevigne atte Stroud?

ghce · Jul 27, 2023

MRC
We have had a few threads on what members are reading / have read / tried to read but failed, pretty much all in English (with a one participant who reads ancient Greek). Today I discovered a podcast on how and why the English language is the way it is.

Currently standing at 189 ~one hour episodes there is a lot of listening there and it has only reached the time of Shakespeare. I intend to start at the beginning and work in chronological order as here: https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/episodes/ but my random first taste is an example of the style and quality: https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/2023/04/24/episode-167-the-rhythm-of-english/

I hope you enjoy.

Thanks very much for that.
Super interesting, being a bit of a history buff and generally a bit of a sponge for old English history I was surprised that I knew a huge a mount of what he said but as a native English speaker with an English genealogy hardly surprising.
However my wife who is a Chinese national and who has been learning English for most of her school life and more latterly with formal lessons in an English Commonwealth country some times struggles with the reason why English is spoken as it is, these pod casts may help her to know the reasons why rather than just accepting my explanations ( which are correct) after all corroborative authoritative 3rd party info cements the learning process.

All that aside I am thoroughly enjoying the refresher.

Edit and filing in some knowledge gaps too