Why is English?
Rásarupplýsingar
Why is English?
A podcast about how the English language got to be the way it is
Nýlegir þættir
7 þættir
The Alphabet - Part 2
In part 2 of The Alphabet, we get into some of the weirder letters, like C and G, which can each represent two different sounds, TH and CH, which are...
The Alphabet - Part 1
In this episode, we find out how our alphabet came to be, from the symbols to the letter names, and the paths many of the letters took to get to what...
American vs British English
In this episode, we’re looking into some of the ways American English and British English diverged, aka Why Those Other People Talk So Weird.
Spelling and the Great Vowel Shift
In episode 4, we get into some of the reasons behind English’s weird spelling, including a major shift in pronunciation and the path to spelling stand...
The Apostrophe and Possessives
In episode 3, we’re looking at why we put a random little line before an 's' to show possession, and how apostrophes and possessives have not always b...
Pronouns and Singular They
In episode 2, we talk about some of the history of pronouns in English, especially the many attempts at gender-neutral pronouns and the journey of sin...
Language Change
In this episode, we look at the different periods in the history of the English language, how English changed from Old English to today, and why compl...