Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Both westward expansion and 19th-century immigration affected the development of a uniquely American English. This classic PBS program tells the story of that burgeoning dialect, from the Revolutionary War to the 1920s. Beginning with the Declaratio...
The “Muvver” Tongue
In the 19th century, English spread throughout the British Empire—but which English? This classic PBS program traces the roots of white Commonwealth English to Cockney, the language of London’s working class. Explaining the influence of Cockney ...
Loaded Weapon
The Irish experience reflects two language traditions, English and Gaelic. This classic PBS program shows how English was first established in Ireland in the 17th century and how, in cases of violent cultural conflict, language can function as a wea...
The Guid Scots Tongue
The Scottish tongue is one of the oldest in Britain, a Northern variety of English that, but for the accidents of history, might have become a separate language. This classic PBS program deals with the influence of the Scots in spreading the languag...
The Empire Strikes Back
Will standard English, as it was known in the 20th century, disappear? Will English continue as the global tongue, or will its numerous varieties become, as offshoots of Latin did, a host of mutually unintelligible languages? This classic PBS progra...
A Muse of Fire
As the landscape of the New World awakened England’s imagination, so did a new landscape of words—in the English of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible. This classic PBS program describes the spread of English to North America and expla...
An English-Speaking World
English is a language spoken by two billion people, perhaps even more. This classic PBS program examines the prevalence of English in the world today and presents a historical overview of its rise. Focusing on the expansion of the British Empire and...
Black on White
Gullah—the African-influenced dialect of Georgia’s Sea Islands—has undergone few changes since the first slave ships landed 300 years ago, and provides a clear window into the shaping of African-American English. This classic PBS program trace...