Have you ever stopped to think about the bizarre rules, spelling, and theft of words that make up the English language? If you are an English learner, you have no doubt agonized over wacky spelling, the lack of a phonetic writing system, and phrasal verbs (combinations of a verb and participle that change the meaning of the verb when it stands alone, such as turn in, turn on, turn up, turn out, etc.). Equally, if you are a native speaker and have studied a language besides English, you probably noticed some quirks about your native tongue. In this episode, we explore some of the historical reasons for these odd qualities of English, touching on some of the distinctions between Old English, Middle English, and Modern English and the cause of the often dramatic shifts in the language. This is an extensive and deeply fascinating topic, so this is merely Part I in a series!

To listen to the reading of Beowulf where we got our clip, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH-_GwoO4xI

And to listen to the reading of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, here’s that link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-xpzfsY4bU 

For Language News, we take a look at Romansch, one of the four official languages of Switzerland. This language, derived from Latin, developed after Roman soldiers came to the area and mixed it with the native people’s language, called Rhaetian. Although this language is spoken by only .5% of the population, it is well protected and beloved by its speakers. Read the article we referenced here. And here is the video where we heard the Romansch speaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7fJBUH1JCE

For our Lost in Translation story, this week we hear from Peter who tells us about his experience confusing Chinese people while asking for directions 😂.  To send us your own Lost in Translation moment, send it to our contact section where you can record yourself, or send a voice memo to: languagenerdsdoearth@gmail.com. We really want to hear them!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS