Origins of English

Approximately 1.35 billion people use it, either as a first or second language, so English and the way that we speak it has a daily impact on huge numbers of people. But how did the English language develop?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, first released in July 2021, Dr. Cat Jarman speaks to Eleanor Rye, an Associate Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the University of York. Using the present day language, place names and dialects as evidence, Ellie shows us how English was impacted by a series of migrations.

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Release date

Lydbog: 9. maj 2023