The History of English Podcast

In the years following Martin Luther’s protest against the Catholic Church, small fractures soon turned into a major rift. The Protestant Reformation led to the break-up of the Western Church. Meanwhile in England, the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon was also coming to an end.  Those two events came together in the 1520s to set the stage for the permanent break between the Church of England and the Catholic Church. This break-up also created an environment in which William Tyndale could produce an English translation of the Bible that served as the foundation of the King James Bible. It was a translation that coined many common words and idioms that are still used in Modern English. TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 149

Exploring the impact of political marriages and divorces in the early 1500s, including Henry VIII's reign and its influence on the English language. Discussing words for union and marriage in different languages. Exploring how political marriages reshaped Europe and led to the rise of the Tudor dynasty in England. Delving into Henry VIII's interests in hunting, music, and humanism. Exploring the importance of the marriage between Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, and the potential consequences of their failure to produce a male heir. Discussing the evolution of Scots language, influential Scottish poets, and the changing society in the 16th century. Exploring the birth of Mary and the challenges to church doctrines. Discussing the discovery of a massive silver deposit in Bohemia and the creation of Joachimstahler coins.

The podcast discusses the transformation of the English language during the Renaissance period, the perception of English as a common and unsophisticated language, the impact of the Renaissance movement in Europe, the challenges of translating Latin and Greek concepts into English, the usage of the word 'maturity' and loanwords in English, and the borrowing of Latin and Greek words into the English language.

1492: Columbus encounters native people in the Americas and their language; European discovery of the Americas and its impact on English; Introduction of potatoes and tomatoes and their pronunciation evolution; Columbus's search for Japan and conflicts in Hispaniola; Journeys of European explorers, Portuguese colonies in Brazil, and influence of cocoa; Historical usage of 'Columbia' and naming of America; Impact of discovery on world history: cultural exchanges, African slaves, and global spread of goods and ideas.

This podcast explores the European exploration and discovery in the 1400s, the linguistic impact of the New World discovery on the English language, the origins of nautical terms and shipbuilding incentives, the etymology of terms like 'denim', 'jeans', and 'maps', the historical origins of terms like Middle East and India, the influence of island chains on European exploration and naming conventions, the trading relationship between England and Iceland, and Christopher Columbus's search for support from Spanish rulers.

Explore the creation of new words and collective nouns in English during the mid-1400s. Delve into the origins of onomatopoeic words and bird-related sounds. Uncover the political intrigue and tragic fate of the two princes in the Tower of London. Discover Richard III's impact on the English language and law. Trace the genealogy of the Lancastrians and Tudors and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their claims to the throne.

In this bonus episode of the regular podcast, we explore the effects of the Great Vowel Shift on the pronunciation of English by reading Geoffrey Chaucer’s last known poem in Middle English, early Modern English and contemporary English.

Explore the vowel shifts in the back of the mouth during the Great Vowel Shift and how they influenced spelling. Learn about regional pronunciation variations and Canadian raising in Canadian English. Discover the evolution of vowel sounds and words affected by the Great Vowel Shift. Explore the lingering evidence of vowel shift and the impact of the shift from long U to short U sound. Finally, discuss the modifications in the English vowel sound in southern Britain.

Explore the movement of vowel sounds in the Great Vowel Shift and their impact on English spelling. Discover the pronunciation exceptions of Irish names, the shift of the 'A' sound, and the emergence of words with similar vowel sounds during this linguistic transition.

The term ‘Great Vowel Shift’ was coined in the early 1900s by the Danish linguist Otto Jespersen to describe a systematic change in the long vowel sounds of English. The changes help to mark the transition from Middle English to Modern English. In this episode, we explore the specific changes that took place in the upper front part of the mouth. We also examine the impact of those changes on Modern English spellings. TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 141