History of English Lecture

Introductory Lectures: History of English Lecture

This lecture traces the roots of the English language, through a survey of some of the key historical movements, mainly invasions of the British Isles, leading to the influence of Latin, French and Germanic languages on English.

She then goes on to discuss how the language spread to other parts of the world, with the spread of the British Empire, and later as the Empire became weaker, the strength of America as an economic power grew, and thus American English came to play a more important role. The lecture finishes by looking at how the internet has led to the true globalisation of English, and the lecturer finally asks for some of the reasons why English and not another language has become the global language.

Listen to the Lecture

Answer the questions given in the Task

After this you can read the Transcript to check your understanding.

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