An A-Z history of the English alphabet

An A-Z history of the English alphabet

Which letter of the English alphabet did Benjamin Franklin think we'd be better off without? Why must the letter U (almost) always follow the letter Q? And what is the point of silent letters? From the first scratches carved into stone to the maddening mysteries of modern English spelling, the alphabet has had a long and extraordinary journey. In this episode, Emily Briffett is joined by linguist, writer and broadcaster Danny Bate to explore the history of the English alphabet, and the strange story behind the letters we use every day. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Curious to find out more about the ancient civilisations who greatly influenced the alphabet's trajectory? Leanr more about the Phoenicians with Josephine Quinn here: https://bit.ly/42nZ5iC And check out this episode on the Etruscans with Lucy Shipley here: https://bit.ly/48O2T0g Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episoder(2612)

Abigail Adams: life of the week

Abigail Adams: life of the week

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The astonishing laws of medieval Wales

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From divorce settlements and cattle disputes to surprisingly modern ideas about gender and compensation, the laws of Hywel Dda shed unique light on how society functioned, in a turbulent age of rival ...

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Inside the Declaration of Independence

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Cannibalism, heartbreak and Madame Guillotine: George Forster's extraordinary life

Cannibalism, heartbreak and Madame Guillotine: George Forster's extraordinary life

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25 Jun 43min

Charlotte Brontë's life through clothes

Charlotte Brontë's life through clothes

We might picture Charlotte Brontë's life as an isolated one, separated from much of the world and its fashions as she whiled away the hours in her father's Haworth parsonage. But the truth, as Eleanor...

23 Jun 36min

Emma Goldman: life of the week

Emma Goldman: life of the week

Anarchist, feminist, revolutionary: 19th-century activist and writer Emma Goldman emigrated from the Russian empire to the United States as a teenager, and spent decades challenging power and conventi...

22 Jun 40min

Stealing the V2 rocket: Britain’s secret WW2 intelligence coup

Stealing the V2 rocket: Britain’s secret WW2 intelligence coup

In 1944, as Allied troops pushed across Europe after D-Day, the Allies faced a terrifying new threat: Hitler’s V2 weapons, striking without warning at supersonic speed. In this episode, Emily Briffett...

21 Jun 31min

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