Our Greatest Treasure - The English Language
Christopher Mulvey, Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Winchester and a trustee of the English Project, takes us on a historical journey of the English Language, explaining how invasions, colonisation and transatlantic naval and aeronautical dominance have all influenced the way we speak in Britain today. Mulvey also discusses dialect, sociolects and how London English has been adopted in Hampshire. His dream is to build a multi-million-pound museum in Winchester, dedicated to the fascinating complexities of the English Language.
Christopher Mulvey
Christopher Mulvey is Emeritus Professor of English, Co-ordinator of the Winchester Scholars Scheme and a General Editor of the Winchester University Press. He is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford. He received his PhD from Columbia University. His articles are numerous, and his books include Anglo-American Landscapes (1983), Transatlantic Manners (1990), William Wells Brown’s Clotel (2006), and A History of the English Language in 100 Places (2013). He is a trustee of the English Project.
Further Information & a Call to Action!
Fascinated by this podcast? Then why not check some other videos and talks by the English Project, including their 2020 Heritage Open Days lecture - The English Language in Hampshire and in Yorkshire.
If punctuation is more your thing then you might want to read The English Project’s History of English Punctuation! The mission of the English Project is to explore and explain the English language in order to educate and entertain the English speaker, and 2015 was the year of punctuation for the Project because 6 February 2015 was the 500th anniversary of the death of Aldus Manutius. Aldus was a Venetian printer who shaped the comma, invented the semicolon and created italic font.
