The History of English Podcast cover art

The History of English Podcast

The History of English Podcast

By: Kevin Stroud
Listen for free

About this listen

 The Spoken History of a Global Language World
Episodes
  • Episode 185: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 2)

    Episode 185: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 2)
    Sep 1 2025
    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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Episode 184: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 1)

    Episode 184: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 1)
    Jul 15 2025
    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. TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 184
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Episode 183: The Fabric of Our Lives

    Episode 183: The Fabric of Our Lives
    May 13 2025
    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. TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 183
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 17 mins
All stars
Most relevant
I stumbled across this podcast 3 years ago and have been completely addicted ever since. Equal parts linguistics and history. Wonderful story telling and easily absorbable!

Brilliant!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.