Category Archives: English

English in the world: A very brief history of a global language

English today is a truly global language. It’s used all across the world, for everything from finance to popular culture. But how did a language that was once spoken by just a few tribes on an island off the coast … Continue reading

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Why ‘Mice’, not ‘Mouses’? I-umlaut in English

 

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A London Accent from the 14th to the 21st Centuries

If you’d like to read more about the history of south-eastern English pronunciation, I’d recommend the Cambridge History of the English Language series. I used volumes II and III extensively for this video, but if there are mistakes, they’re far … Continue reading

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How Is Naomi A Jewish & Japanese Name?

SOURCES https://nameberry.com/babyname/Naomi#… https://www.behindthename.com/name/na… https://www.behindthename.com/name/na… https://www.quora.com/Is-Naomi-a-Japa… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History…%5B…%5D

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VIKING INFLUENCE on the English Language!

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A brief history of plural word…s – John McWhorter

View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-brief-his… All it takes is a simple S to make most English words plural. But it hasn’t always worked that way (and there are, of course, exceptions). John McWhorter looks back to the good old days … Continue reading

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Elision & Contraction in Old English

 

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Leftovers from Older English

 

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What’s The Difference Between “Yule” And “Christmas”? – Everything After Z by Dictionary.com

The lyric from “Deck the Halls” goes “Troll the ancient yuletide carol.” Amidst all the fa-la-la-ing, did you ever ask yourself exactly what yule is? While some people use the word as a synonym for Christmas, there’s more to yule than … Continue reading

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How Geography KILLED a Letter

Fun facts: I had a speech impediment as a child where I couldn’t pronounce TH properly, instead using an F sound. Good thing I got all that cleared up before making this video. If you’re curious what thorn looks like … Continue reading

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