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Talk5 min

Where did English come from?

Claire Bowern · TED

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About

When we talk about 'English', we often think of it as a single language. But what do the dialects spoken in dozens of countries around the world have in common with each other, or with the writings of Chaucer? Claire Bowern traces the language from the present day back to its ancient roots, showing how English has evolved through generations of speakers. [Directed by Patrick Smith, narrated by Addison Anderson].

The talk

  1. Where did English come from? 5 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Claire Bowern
Year
2015
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Society and politics, History, Literature and writing, Languages and linguistics
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed