| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (50 min. 36 sec.) ; 306253883 bytes |
| Summary |
The Adventure of English is an eight-part series that traces the journey of the English language, telling the incredible story of how English survived against all the odds. Written and presented by Melvyn Bragg, the series traces how the language of the British Isles became a language for the world - the most widely spoken and understood vernacular in history. This episode begins with the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers in America in 1620 and their efforts to maintain the purity of the language they spoke. They borrowed relatively little from the natives, and the regional accents of the early settlers blended to produce a much more uniform sound than was the case in their homeland. Later, Scots and the Irish added their influence. As English spread across the North American continent, it also started to move away from the language spoken in England. At the end of the 18th century and in the early 19th century Noah Webster's Book of American Spelling standardised spelling across the United States. As settlers went west, new words and phrases developed, while African slaves introduced elements of their own native languages into the vernacular. (From the UK, in English) (Part 4) |
| Event |
Broadcast 2009-12-08 at 19:30:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: PG |
| Subject |
English language -- Foreign words and phrases.
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English language -- Spoken English.
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Language and languages -- Origin.
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Pilgrims (New Plymouth Colony)
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United Kingdom.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Bragg, Melvyn, host
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Wattis, Nigel, director
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