‘Whose language is it anyway?’ The evolution of English, from ‘loaf’ to ‘LOL’
English is a uniquely weird language largely because its evolution has been a long, twisting road through history, happenstance and – as Shakespeare might say – strange bedfellows. This briskly paced jaunt through the history of the English language from The Open University condenses nearly 1500 years of its evolution, from the Anglo-Saxons to the internet, into eleven lively, animated minutes.
Video by The Open University
videoGlobal history
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, a young couple discovers a strange, newly open world
18 minutes
videoDemography and migration
The volunteers who offer a last line of care for migrants at a contentious border
30 minutes
videoHistory
In Stalin’s home city in Georgia, generations clash over his legacy
20 minutes
videoNature and landscape
After independence, Mexico was in search of identity. These paintings offered a blueprint
15 minutes
videoDemography and migration
In California’s farmlands, immigrant workers share their stories of toil and hope
17 minutes
videoLanguage and linguistics
Do button-pushing dogs have something new to say about language?
9 minutes
videoArt
When East met West in the images of an overlooked, original photographer
9 minutes
videoWar and peace
Two Ukrainian boys’ summer unfolds just miles from the frontlines
22 minutes
videoLanguage and linguistics
Why Susan listens to recordings of herself speaking a language she no longer remembers
5 minutes