History

Is Beowulf based on true events?

The real history behind the poem

Aug 13 •

The case for Middle English

It’s not just The Canterbury Tales

Aug 6 •

Modern English doesn’t come from “Old English”

And what it would look like if it did

Aug 2 •

Why you speak more Latin than you think

The Latin words in the ancestor of English

Jul 23 •

How the alphabet began

And some Dead Language Society lore

Jul 16 •

How the Industrial Revolution changed English

Technology and the birth of new dialects

Jun 25 •

Could Beowulf see blue?

The history of English colour words

Jun 21 •

Why English doesn’t use accents

And why French is full of them

Jun 18 •

Why English spelling will never make sense

The history of English spelling reform

May 24 •

The lost letters of the English alphabet

And why they didn't survive

May 21 •

The first English-speaking pope

The lost language of Adrian IV (1100-1159)

May 14 •

How the Goths changed the fate of Europe

A guide to Gothic language and history

May 10 •

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