Half a billion people speak English as their first language in the world today – and over 2 billion people use it in some form. But how you speak English depends on where you live, where you come from, and how it was taught to you. It’s truly a universal language. So – what’s its history? If this is the language that has done the most to spread Christianity (as some claim), how have its quirks influenced our understanding of the Bible?

Meet our guest

Links

Special thanks to our season sponsor Zondervan Academic. Get discounts on MasterLectures video courses and exclusive samples of their books at zondervanacademic.com/undeceptions

A transcript of this episode is available here. Please note, that due to software not all exchanges between guests will be completely accurate.

Extras

Check out the helpful links below for more information on what was discussed in this episode.

To Read

• John is a stickler for grammar and he particularly loves the Oxford Comma. Here’s a great piece that gives the history (and correct use) of this treasured linguistic quirk
• For some people, finding out what Oxford University Press’s ‘Word of the Year’ is can be a really big deal!
• This timeline tracks the development of English – it’s a fantastic piece of trivia!
• Here’s the full text of Beowulf for anyone interested in epic, deadly adventure told through poetry!
• The King James Bible is arguably the most significant piece of English ever committed to paper. Here’s a great piece by The Times that captures its influence

To Watch

• English has a long and storied history – but it was almost unrecognisable for modern English speakers until just a few years ago, as this video attests
• Where might the English language go next? Simon gives his verdict here
• If you’re curious to know more about the Canterbury Tales, but a little daunted by the idea of diving into an epic work of medieval poetry, this video might be for you
• Here’s the great clip of comedian John Branyan riffing on Shakespeare and the tale of the Three Little Pigs
• In fact, the English language has been great ammunition for comedians over the years. Here’s Gallagher doing a great bit on its quirks

To Listen

• Beowulf is the earliest written work of Old English we have. Here’s a full, free audiobook translation of it – if you like adventure, monsters, and brave warriors, this is for you!
• Our episode Venerable Bede is a great companion piece to this episode
• If you can’t get enough English language history, The History of English podcast is your next binge-able show!
• Of course, Simon is following in the footsteps of another Undeceptions patron saint – the great philologist (and author) J.R.R. Tolkien! Check out this talk Simon gave about his influence

… and finally

• The Oxford English Dictionary’s official website is a wonderful rabbit hole for curious minds to go down! With stories, a history of words, a “word of the day” section, and heaps more, there’s a wild world of words waiting for you!