Location:
United States
Description:
The Spoken History of a Global Language
Twitter:
@englishhistpod
Language:
English
Episodes
Episode 175: The English of Romeo and Juliet
3/25/2024
Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays and one of the most popular plays ever written. In this episode, we examine the language of the play to see how it reflects the English of Elizabethan England, … Continue reading →
Duration:01:32:35
Episode 174: Speak and Spell
2/8/2024
English spelling largely reflects the state of the language in the late 1500s. In this episode, we look at one of the first English spelling books, and we explore several plays by William Shakespeare to examine the way he rhymed … Continue reading →
Duration:01:28:54
Episode 173: Fooling Around
1/2/2024
In this episode, we look at the development of English comedy in the early modern era. We examine some of William Shakespeare’s early comedies, and we also distinguish Shakespearean comedy from other types of comedic performances which had been popular … Continue reading →
Duration:01:24:54
Episode 172: Succession
11/20/2023
In this episode, we explore the concept of a successful succession. During the early 1590s, France was divided by a bitter conflict over the succession of Henry of Navarre to the French throne. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare wrote a couple of … Continue reading →
Duration:01:34:37
Episode 171: Shakespeare’s English (featuring Ben Crystal)
10/9/2023
In this episode, we turn our attention to the wordcraft of William Shakespeare. Today, many people have mixed opinions about his plays and poems. They know that he is widely regarded as the greatest English writer of all time, but … Continue reading →
Duration:01:06:55
Episode 170: Printers, Plague and Poets
9/5/2023
In this episode, we examine the connection between poetry and plague in the early 1590s. An outbreak of the recurring sickness contributed to Shakespeare’s early career as a poet, and that poetry likely included his many sonnets. We also examine … Continue reading →
Duration:01:17:28
Episode 169: Shakespeare Documented
7/25/2023
William Shakespeare is widely considered to be the most important writer in the history of the English language, but relatively little is known about his personal life. The desire to know more about the ‘Bard of Avon’ has led to … Continue reading →
Duration:01:00:30
Episode 168: Witches, Demons and Fairies
5/31/2023
In this episode, we explore the Elizabethan fascination with witchcraft and mysterious creatures like fairies and demons. Those subjects feature prominently in the literature of the period, and they reveal a lot about the world view of the people who … Continue reading →
Duration:01:56:00
Episode 167: The Rhythm of English
4/24/2023
All languages have their own rhythm and cadence, and English is no exception. That rhythm has actually shaped the language over time. It contributed to the structure of English poetry, and during the Elizabethan period, it shaped the way drama … Continue reading →
Duration:01:08:11
Bonus Episode: Rise and Fall of the Classic Movie Accent
3/31/2023
In this episode from the Patreon archives, we examine the accent used by actors and actresses in very old movies. We look at the origin of that accent and examine why it was adopted by the film industry in the … Continue reading →
Duration:00:41:07
Episode 166: The Arte of Warre
3/7/2023
In 1588, the Spanish Armada set sail for England in an attempt to depose Elizabeth I and replace her with a Spanish princess. In this episode, we examine how the English victory secured the status of English within the Church … Continue reading →
Duration:01:15:39
Episode 165: Glamorous Grammar
1/30/2023
William Bullokar composed the first formal grammar of the English language in 1586. Prior to that point, the concept of grammar had been largely restricted to Latin. Bullokar’s work extended the concept to English, but it did so by employing … Continue reading →
Duration:01:01:34
Episode 164: Somewhere in the Middle
12/20/2022
Throughout her long reign, Queen Elizabeth I was faced with many difficult decisions, and she often chose a middle path when she could. In this episode, we explore the middle paths taken during her reign, and the consequences of those … Continue reading →
Duration:01:18:56
Episode 163: An Elementary Education
11/9/2022
By the second half of the Elizabethan period, the perception of English had changed significantly in England. It was increasingly perceived as a sophisticated language capable of matching the refinement of other European languages. One of the language’s most vocal … Continue reading →
Duration:01:09:53
Episode 162: The Pirate Queen
10/6/2022
In the 1570s, Francis Drake plundered Spanish ships throughout the New World with the private permission of Elizabeth I. His actions marked the first direct challenge to Spanish naval supremacy in the region, and also marked the beginning the English … Continue reading →
Duration:01:07:45
Episode 161: Y U and I Have a Problem
8/31/2022
In this episode, we explore the complicated history of the letters Y, U and I, and we examine how they gave birth to the letters W, V and J. We also look at the Gothic script of the Middle Ages … Continue reading →
Duration:01:14:30
Episode 160: Approximant-ly English
7/15/2022
In this episode, we explore the sounds represented by the letters L and R. Linguists refer to these sounds as ‘approximants,’ and they are some of the most challenging sounds in the English language. They are consonants with vowel-like qualities. … Continue reading →
Duration:01:19:42
Episode 159: Elizabethan Voices
5/18/2022
In 1569, an English scholar named John Hart published a manuscript called ‘An Orthographie.’ The text argued for a phonetic spelling system, and it provided one of the earliest detailed descriptions of the sounds of English. In this episode, we … Continue reading →
Duration:01:18:51
Episode 158: Planting Seeds
4/6/2022
In the mid-1500s, England attempted to expand its influence in Ireland by establishing plantations there. This same process would soon be applied to North America. In this episode, we explore those early attempts at Irish colonization and England’s first encounters … Continue reading →
Duration:01:05:39
Episode 157: Highlands, Lowlands and Netherlands
3/4/2022
During the first decade of the reign of Elizabeth I, Protestants in Scotland and the Netherlands rebelled against the Catholic authorities who controlled those countries. Those rebellions were supported by England, and eventually Scotland and the Netherlands joined England as … Continue reading →
Duration:01:10:04