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The Birth of Canadian English: From Treaty to Accents
Episode 200
This episode traces the birth of Canadian English, from the 1763 Treaty of Paris through French and Indigenous contact, to American migration and mod…
6 days, 22 hours ago
From Norse Householder to Modern Married Man: The Etymology of ‘Husband’
Episode 199
In this episode we trace the word ‘husband’ back to its Old Norse roots, follow how Viking settlers introduced it into English, and examine how cultu…
6 days, 22 hours ago
Geoffrey Chaucer and the Birth of Modern English
Episode 198
Geoffrey Chaucer’s London dialect laid the groundwork for what we now call Standard English. His works shaped spelling conventions, grammatical norms…
6 days, 23 hours ago
From Bridegroom to Algorithm: Word Journeys That Shape Modern English
Episode 197
In this episode we trace how folk etymology turned the Old English brydguma into bridegroom, how al‑Khwarizmi’s name morphed into the modern term alg…
6 days, 23 hours ago
Spellcheck Gatekeepers: The New Authority Over Written English
Episode 196
Explore how medieval scribes, Webster’s dictionaries, and today’s spell‑checking algorithms have shaped what we consider ‘correct’ English. From red …
6 days, 23 hours ago
The Curious Journey of –ly: From Old English ‘lic’ to Modern Adverbs
Episode 195
Explore how the humble suffix –ly evolved from an Old English noun meaning "likeness" into a productive adverbial marker that shapes modern English. …
6 days, 23 hours ago
The Radio Myth: How Mass Media Keeps Accents Alive
Episode 194
In this episode we dive into the long‑standing belief that radio and TV will erase regional accents, and examine surprising evidence that shows the o…
1 week ago
Northern Middle English: How the North Became Early Modern
Episode 193
This episode traces how northern varieties of Middle English shed inflectional endings well before London’s dialect, creating a grammar that already …
1 week ago
From Latin Roots to Modern Mandate: The Etymology of English ‘Tax’
Episode 192
Explore how the word ‘tax’ evolved from the Latin verb taxare through Norman French into medieval England, then spread across the British Empire and …
1 week ago
The 'Needs Washed' Construction: Tracing a Midwestern Dialect Trail
Episode 191
Explore how the quirky construction ‘needs washed’ migrated from Scottish and Ulster Scots roots to American Midwest dialects, revealing patterns of …
1 week ago