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Old Alliteration, Indo‑European Roots, and the Evolution of the Letter W: A Complete History of English
Episode 156
Published 2 weeks, 2 days ago
Description
This episode unpacks how Old English alliteration in poems like Beowulf forged a shared oral tradition, traces English’s place within the Indo‑European family tree from Proto‑Germanic to West Germanic, and follows the letter W from its runic origins through medieval manuscripts to modern digital typography. We explore key scholars, historical shifts, and how these elements shaped today’s English.
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