Where does the language we use come from? This exploration encompasses anthropology, genetics, history, language, literature and social history. Alongside a historical account beginning with prehistory and continuing to the twenty-first century are sessions concerned with such diversions as personal and place names, punctuation, regional dialects, infiltrations from modern languages and the global significance of English. At the centre of the labyrinth are the ancestral languages identified in the eighteenth century, particularly our own Indo-European group. Routes from there take in Celtic variants, forms of Latin, Germanic tribal dialects, Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse and Norman-French. Members will be set oral and written tasks and will be expected to read scripts in class (anyone with a speech limitation is excused). General knowledge of English history and literature is required. Handouts and scripts are sent in advance: you will need a printer or a screen from which you can read scripts.
Please click HERE for presentations