Why Is English

28/04/2021

Part 2 of The Alphabet is finally here! For this one, we're getting into some of the weirder letters, like C and G, which can each represent two different sounds, TH and CH, which are both two letters for one sound, and W, which is just…two…U’s? or V’s?

In part 2 of The Alphabet, we get into some of the weirder letters, like C and G, which can each represent two different sounds, TH and CH, which are both two letters for one sound, and W, which is just…two…U's? or V's?

02/02/2021

New episode up! In this one, we’re getting into how our alphabet came to be, from the symbols to the letter names, and the paths many of the letters took to get to what they are now. https://anchor.fm/whyisenglish/episodes/The-Alphabet---Part-1-epqgq8

In this episode, we find out how our alphabet came to be, from the symbols to the letter names, and the paths many of the letters took to get to what they are now.

30/12/2020

I can't wait
https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/nicolas-cage-history-of-swear-words-netflix-1234849387/

Nicolas Cage will host “History of Swear Words,” a proudly profane series about expletives for Netflix in January. The six-episode series will dive into the origins, pop culture usage, …

01/12/2020

Episode 5 is up! This time we're looking at how British and American English diverged, and where some of the differences between them come from. https://anchor.fm/whyisenglish/episodes/American-vs-British-English-en6kpj

In this episode, we’re looking into some of the ways American English and British English diverged, aka Why Those Other People Talk So Weird.

26/11/2020

Yep, pretty much https://xkcd.com/2390/

25/10/2020

Today in weird things in English (that are actually somewhat explainable)
Text:
just-shower-thoughts: Contractions function almost identically to the full two-word phrase, but are only appropriate in some places in a sentence. It's one of the weird quirks of this language we've.
thechubbynerd: This post needs some kind of warning sign.
hugealienpie: I did not see that coming.
casispie: Some people say the English language is confusing. To which I say... It's.
allthingslinguistic: That's the kind of linguist I'm

19/10/2020

Episode 4 is up! This time we’re getting into some of the reasons behind English’s weird spelling, including a major shift in pronunciation and the path to spelling standardization. https://anchor.fm/whyisenglish/episodes/Spelling-and-the-Great-Vowel-Shift-el9vci

In episode 4, we get into some of the reasons behind English’s weird spelling, including a major shift in pronunciation and the path to spelling standardization.

01/09/2020

Episode 3 is here! In this one, we’re looking at why we put a random little line before an 's' to show possession, and how apostrophes and possessives have not always been so closely associated. https://anchor.fm/whyisenglish/episodes/The-Apostrophe-and-Possessives-eiut9p

In episode 3, we’re looking at why we put a random little line before an 's' to show possession, and how apostrophes and possessives have not always been so closely associated.

29/08/2020

Interesting article on why people use all lowercase https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/y3z45v/internet-lowercase-spelling-taylor-swift-charli-xcx

In a world where Trump capitalises words like a sci-fi villain, lowercase has become shorthand for authenticity and vulnerability.

10/08/2020

Episode 2 is out wherever you get your podcasts! This time we're getting into some of the history of pronouns in English, especially the many attempts at gender-neutral pronouns and the journey of singular ‘they’.

Listen to this episode from Why is English? on Spotify. In episode 2, we talk about some of the history of pronouns in English, especially the many attempts at gender-neutral pronouns and the journey of singular ‘they’.

21/07/2020

Episode 1 is up! In this introductory episode, we're looking at the different periods in the history of the English language, how English changed from Old English to today, and why complaining about language change is futile.
https://open.spotify.com/show/2ytIIfFj7vRVg6FTFYdwdg?si=RlVLOx9DSIaYCppSB-nV8w

Listen to Why is English? on Spotify. A podcast about how the English language got to be the way it is