The History of English Podcast
The Spoken History of a Global Language. A chronological history of the English language, examined through the historical events that shaped it.
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Aug 30, 2026 · 1h 18mEpisode 191: A Vision of the FutureAs the English Civil War raged in the 1640s, English grammarians wrote about several developments in the language, including a new sound appearing in the word “vision” anJun 30, 2026 · 1h 20mEpisode 190: Union, Division and Unusual USet against the English Civil War of the 1640s, this episode explains how the letter U split into several distinct long and short sounds. Kevin traces the origin of the dApr 30, 2026 · 1h 23mEpisode 189: Stressed OutWraps up the 1630s with the run-up to the English Civil War and colonial expansion along the North American coast, then looks at how syllable stress has shifted in EnglisFeb 27, 2026 · 1h 24mEpisode 188: Old England and New EnglandFollows the early 1600s migration of English settlers to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and explores the linguistic ties between New England and East Anglia, showing how reDec 31, 2025 · 1h 13mEpisode 187: Islands and SeaLooks at how seafaring vocabulary entered English in the early 1600s, alongside the settlement of the Caribbean and Charles I's early clashes with Parliament.Oct 31, 2025 · 1h 26mEpisode 186: A Dutch TreatCovers the Pilgrims at Plymouth and the Dutch settlement of what became New York and New Jersey, and documents the Dutch words that made their way into American English.Sep 1, 2025 · 1h 18mEpisode 185: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 2)Continues the survey of early 1600s letter sounds from K through Z, tracing how each sound changed through the Modern English period and what that means for pronunciationJul 15, 2025 · 1h 21mEpisode 184: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 1)Over the course of the 1500s, English spelling started to become standardized, but the pronunciation of the language continued to change. By the early 1600s, English schoMay 13, 2025 · 1h 17mEpisode 183: The Fabric of Our LivesIn the early 1600s, cotton fabrics made in India were in high demand throughout Asia and Africa. When the English and Dutch arrived in India and Japan, they realized how Mar 18, 2025 · 1h 16mEpisode 182: World of ConfusionIn the early 1600s, English began to spread around the world as speakers searched for new trading partners and new places to settle. Through that process, English become Jan 30, 2025 · 1h 21mEpisode 181: Heaven and EarthThe invention of the telescope in the early 1600s laid the foundation for the scientific revolution, but it also disrupted the traditional view of the universe and led toNov 13, 2024 · 1h 14mEpisode 180: English on the MoveIn the first decade of the 1600s, English speakers were on the move as they established the first permanent English settlement in North America. They also began a steady Sep 24, 2024 · 1h 26mEpisode 179: Defining MomentsIn the early 1600s, several landmark events shaped the history of England and determined how and where the English language would be spoken in the centuries that followedAug 7, 2024 · 1h 17mEpisode 178: Much Ado About HamletIn the first couple of years of the 1600s, several new Shakespeare plays appeared. Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It were recorded in the Stationer’s Register, anJun 26, 2024 · 1h 25mEpisode 177: Dressed for SuccessIn this episode, we look at clothing and fashion in the Elizabethan era, and we examine the connection between clothing, custom and language. We also examine Shakespeare’May 9, 2024 · 1h 20mEpisode 176: All the World’s a PlayhouseTheaters were an important part of cultural life in Elizabethan England, and they contributed many words to the English language. Those words joined thousands of other woMar 25, 2024 · 1h 33mEpisode 175: The English of Romeo and JulietRomeo 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 tFeb 8, 2024 · 1h 29mEpisode 174: Speak and SpellEnglish 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 severalJan 2, 2024 · 1h 25mEpisode 173: Fooling AroundIn 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 ShNov 20, 2023 · 1h 35mEpisode 172: SuccessionIn 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 NavarrOct 9, 2023 · 1h 7mEpisode 171: Shakespeare’s English (featuring Ben Crystal)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 widSep 5, 2023 · 1h 17mEpisode 170: Printers, Plague and PoetsIn 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 aJul 25, 2023 · 1h 1mEpisode 169: Shakespeare DocumentedWilliam 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. TMay 31, 2023 · 1h 56mEpisode 168: Witches, Demons and FairiesIn this episode, we explore the Elizabethan fascination with witchcraft and mysterious creatures like fairies and demons. Those subjects feature prominently in the literaApr 24, 2023 · 1h 8mEpisode 167: The Rhythm of EnglishAll 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 E
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