All languages have their own rhythm and cadence, and English is no exception. That rhythm has actually shaped the language over time. It contributed t...

In this episode from the Patreon archives, we examine the accent used by actors and actresses in very old movies. We look at the origin of that accent...

In 1588, the Spanish Armada set sail for England in an attempt to depose Elizabeth I and replace her with a Spanish princess. In this episode, we exam...

William Bullokar composed the first formal grammar of the English language in 1586. Prior to that point, the concept of grammar had been largely restr...

Throughout her long reign, Queen Elizabeth I was faced with many difficult decisions, and she often chose a middle path when she could. In this episod...

By the second half of the Elizabethan period, the perception of English had changed significantly in England. It was increasingly perceived as a sophi...

In the 1570s, Francis Drake plundered Spanish ships throughout the New World with the private permission of Elizabeth I. His actions marked the first ...

In this episode, we explore the complicated history of the letters Y, U and I, and we examine how they gave birth to the letters W, V and J. We also l...

In this episode, we explore the sounds represented by the letters L and R. Linguists refer to these sounds as ‘approximants,’ and they are some of the...

In 1569, an English scholar named John Hart published a manuscript called ‘An Orthographie.’ The text argued for a phonetic spelling system, and it pr...