The Story of English

The Story of English

1

Season

1986

8.9

A history of the English language from its early beginnings to present day English in all its variations.

Episode List

An English Speaking World

S1 • E1

An English Speaking World

Explores the development of modern English and shows how English has become the language of choice for international business, diplomacy, and popular culture.

The Mother Tongue

S1 • E2

The Mother Tongue

Traces the history of the language in terms of successive invasions of the British Isles, from the Anglo-Saxons through the Norman French in 1066.

A Muse of Fire

S1 • E3

A Muse of Fire

Demonstrates the far-reaching effects of the English of Shakespeare and the King James Bible.

The Guid Scots Tongue

S1 • E4

The Guid Scots Tongue

Follows the thread of the Gaelic tongue as it is practiced by the Scottish, following the influx of the Scots into Ireland beginning with the reign of James I, and the subsequent influence of Scottish influence on English.

'Pioneers, O Pioneers!'

S1 • E5

'Pioneers, O Pioneers!'

Examines various theories about American English from the Revolutionary War through the 1920s. And it also features a discussion about Canadian English.

Black on White

S1 • E6

Black on White

Examines the origins of Black English, beginning with the influx of Africans to the American continent caused by the slave trade.

The Muvver Tongue

S1 • E7

The Muvver Tongue

Discusses Cockney English and its influence on Australian and New Zealand English.

The Loaded Weapon

S1 • E8

The Loaded Weapon

Treats the Irish question in terms of its spoken and written word and the long-standing political tensions between Ireland and Great Britain.

Next Year's Words

S1 • E9

Next Year's Words

Explores the direction that many language scholars believe the English vernacular is heading.

Similar Titles

The Normans

The Normans

The Adventure of English

The Adventure of English

The Celts

The Celts

The Dragon Has Two Tongues: A History of the Welsh

The Dragon Has Two Tongues: A History of the Welsh

A History Of Christianity

A History Of Christianity

Cast

Robert MacNeil

Robert MacNeil

Self - Presenter

Alistair Cooke

Alistair Cooke

Self - Writer and Broadcaster

Michael Hordern

Michael Hordern

Prospero

Christopher Page

Self - Old English Reader

Benjamin Bligen

Self - Speaker of Gullah English

Penny Downie

Penny Downie

Titania

Robert Burchfield

Self - Editor, Oxford English Dictionary

The Medieval Players

Themselves

Janie Hunter

Self - Speaker of Gullah English

Richard Bebb

Self - Chaucer Reader

The Story of English (1986) | ecco