Melvyn Bragg begins the story of English in Holland, finding ancestral echoes in the Frisian dialect. What follows is a chapter on survival as the English language weathers Viking and Norman invasions, vying with and eventually absorbing rival tongues. Lively settings such as village pubs and markets bring home the lasting influence of Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, and Old French. The connection between Christianity, Latin, and an alphabet is explored, as well as the role of the language’s first champion, King Alfred the Great. Nobel prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney reads from and discusses the first epic in English, Beowulf. (52 minutes)

Tell a Friend! Your Name: Your Email: Your Friend's Email: Your Message: We respect your privacy and will not use your friend's address without permission. Item#: BVL33209 Copyright date: ©2003 VHS ISBN 978-0-7365-9223-9 DVD (Chaptered) ISBN 978-0-7365-9240-6

Part of the Series : The Adventure of English: 500 A.D. to 2000 A.D.

VHS	$149.95
DVD (Chaptered)	$149.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$224.93
3-Year Streaming	$149.95

Prices include public performance rights.
Not available to Home Video customers. Only available in the US and Canada.

		Many Tongues Called English, One World Language This program explores how America's rise as an economic power made it the driving force behind the spread of English in the 20th century. A world tour illustrates how English has mixed with other languages-from "Franglais" in France to "Singlish" in ...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		English in America When Massasoit hailed the Plymouth settlers in their own language, they might have taken it for a sign that English would dominate the New World. Packed with surprising etymologies and intriguing stories, this program traces the dynamic relationship ...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		"This Earth, This Realm, This England" Has any single person shaped English more than William Shakespeare? This program uses unparalleled access to some of the greatest English texts, including the first English dictionary and a rare first folio of Shakespeare's plays, to illustrate the g...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		English Goes Underground With the Norman invasion, English became a third language in its own country, behind French and Latin. In this program, Melvyn Bragg examines the impact of Old French on the development of English. Manuscripts, tapestries, and dozens of curious etymo...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		Speaking Proper This program follows English through the 18th and 19th centuries, from attempts at reforming and standardizing the tongue in the Age of Reason to the soaring verse of Romanticism and the verbal prudishness of the Victorian era. Linguistic milestones ...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95

See additional titles in Elements of Language | Human Communication | Cultural Anthropology