The History of English Podcast

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1. Episode 191: A Vision of the Future

   30 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 18 min

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   As 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” and new ways of describing future actions and events. The military conflict was also shaping the language by contributing new terms to the lexicon. And a new sense of “self” was emerging, which had far-reaching consequences for philosophy, politics, and the English language. In this episode, we explore how these developments shaped the language we speak today and provided a vision of the future. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 191

2. Episode 190: Union, Division and Unusual U

   30 juni 2026 · 1 uur 20 min

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   During the decade of the 1640s, England was divided by Civil War. At the same time, the sound of letter of U was also experiencing its own division, ultimately resulting in two distinct ‘long’ sounds and two distinct ‘short’ sounds. In this episode, we explore those developments and examine how the English Civil War shaped the English language. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 190

3. Episode 189: Stressed Out

   30 april 2026 · 1 uur 23 min

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   As we conclude our look at the 1630s, we explore the events leading to Civil War in England and the expansion of the English colonies along the eastern coast of North America. We also examine the evolution of syllable stress in English and the variation in stress patterns in Modern English. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 189

4. Episode 188: Old England and New England

   27 februari 2026 · 1 uur 24 min

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   In this episode, we explore the first large-scale migration of English settlers to North America in the early 1600s. The settlers arrived in the newly established Massachusetts Bay Colony. We explore the events that led to this migration, and we also explore the linguistic connections between New England and East Anglia in eastern England. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 188

5. Episode 187: Islands and Sea

   31 december 2025 · 1 uur 13 min

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   In this episode, we explore the influence of seafaring on the English language in the early 1600s. We also look at events in the latter half of the 1620s, which included the first permanent English settlements in the Caribbean. This period saw the arrival of Charles I as the new king of England and Scotland, so we also examine his early reign and his repeated conflicts with Parliament. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 187

6. Episode 186: A Dutch Treat

   31 oktober 2025 · 1 uur 26 min

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   In this episode, we explore two important developments in North America. First, we examine the legendary story of the Pilgrims’ arrival in New England in 1620 and the establishment of the Plymouth Colony. Secondly, we examine the creation of the Dutch settlement in modern-day New York and New Jersey, and we explore how Dutch influenced early American English. We also examine several important developments in England in the early 1620s. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 186

7. Episode 185: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 2)

   1 september 2025 · 1 uur 18 min

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   In the second part of our look at the sound of English in the early 1600s, we continue to explore the letters of the alphabet and the sounds that each letter represents. We explore the letters K through Z and examine how the sounds represented by those letters have evolved over the Modern English period. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 185

8. Episode 184: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 1)

   15 juli 2025 · 1 uur 21 min

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   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 scholars noticed that spellings no longer reflected the way words were pronounced, and they recommended phonetic reforms. In this episode, we examine how English spelling reformers described the pronunciation of English in the early 1600s, and we also explore how Modern English spellings reflect the phonetic history of words. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 184

9. Episode 183: The Fabric of Our Lives

   13 mei 2025 · 1 uur 17 min

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   In 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 popular the fabric was, and they soon began to ship it back to northern Europe. In this episode, we explore how the ‘cotton craze’ of the 1600s shaped the modern world, and shaped the English language. We also examine the end of the Shakespearean period and the second English dictionary. Lees meer

   TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 183

10. Episode 182: World of Confusion

    18 maart 2025 · 1 uur 16 min

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    In 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 an international language, but as English speakers encountered people and languages in distant places, they sometimes became confused. That confusion and uncertainty shaped the English language during this period. In this episode, we explore early English loanwords from North America, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and the first English trading post in India. Lees meer

    TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 182

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