# Where did English come from?

- 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](https://www.ted.com/talks/claire_bowern_where_did_english_come_from)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

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. \[Directed by Patrick Smith, narrated by Addison Anderson\].

## Lectures

1. [Where did English come from?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/claire_bowern_where_did_english_come_from/d1576c6d28d3), 5 min (TED's player)