Middle English with Jess Zafarris
09/01/23 • 30 min
Prepare to be amazed by an array of fascinating etymological revelations, including the surprising (and sometimes cheeky) origins of English words, as we continue our journey through the evolution of English and trace its transformation from Old English to Middle English. Join Jess Zafarris, the woman behind Useless Etymology and Words from Hell, as she talks about The Great Vowel Shift, a turning point in linguistic history, and demonstrates the intriguing sounds of Middle English.
“One of the great joys of studying Middle English is learning how the words that we use today are rooted in the past and in different languages.”
Why do we say words like ‘ruthless’, but not ‘ruth’, or ‘disgruntled’ but not ‘gruntled’? And does the word ‘female’ come from the word ‘male’? All these questions and more are answered as we continue our journey through the evolution of English, and find out how it shifted from Old English to Middle English.
Jess Zafarris has a blog, two books and a TikTok channel dedicated to the subject of etymology. In this episode she explains how Old English morphed into Middle English, and how it ended with The Great Vowel Shift. She shares an incredible array of etymological wonders, explaining the (sometimes naughty) origins of English words. And she gives us a glimpse into how Middle English may have sounded, and how you can learn it yourself.
Check out Jess’ latest book Words from Hell - Unearthing the darkest secrets of English etymology.
Find out more about our sponsor, Chambers here and sign up to their newsletter. Chambers is the number one brand for word lovers! And they’re publishers of Jess Zafarris’ latest book Words from Hell.
Your host is polyglot Richard Simcott. The Language Podcast is an OG Podcasts production.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and a 5-star rating - it really helps to reach more language lovers like you. If you want to see more of us, you can find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/language.pod/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheLanguagePod
Website: http://www.thelanguagepodcast.com
Notes:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Prepare to be amazed by an array of fascinating etymological revelations, including the surprising (and sometimes cheeky) origins of English words, as we continue our journey through the evolution of English and trace its transformation from Old English to Middle English. Join Jess Zafarris, the woman behind Useless Etymology and Words from Hell, as she talks about The Great Vowel Shift, a turning point in linguistic history, and demonstrates the intriguing sounds of Middle English.
“One of the great joys of studying Middle English is learning how the words that we use today are rooted in the past and in different languages.”
Why do we say words like ‘ruthless’, but not ‘ruth’, or ‘disgruntled’ but not ‘gruntled’? And does the word ‘female’ come from the word ‘male’? All these questions and more are answered as we continue our journey through the evolution of English, and find out how it shifted from Old English to Middle English.
Jess Zafarris has a blog, two books and a TikTok channel dedicated to the subject of etymology. In this episode she explains how Old English morphed into Middle English, and how it ended with The Great Vowel Shift. She shares an incredible array of etymological wonders, explaining the (sometimes naughty) origins of English words. And she gives us a glimpse into how Middle English may have sounded, and how you can learn it yourself.
Check out Jess’ latest book Words from Hell - Unearthing the darkest secrets of English etymology.
Find out more about our sponsor, Chambers here and sign up to their newsletter. Chambers is the number one brand for word lovers! And they’re publishers of Jess Zafarris’ latest book Words from Hell.
Your host is polyglot Richard Simcott. The Language Podcast is an OG Podcasts production.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and a 5-star rating - it really helps to reach more language lovers like you. If you want to see more of us, you can find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/language.pod/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheLanguagePod
Website: http://www.thelanguagepodcast.com
Notes:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Old English with Mark Atherton
Join us as we delve into the rich history of Old English and its enduring influence on Modern English with Dr Mark Atherton, lecturer at the University of Oxford. Discover the origins of the language of Chaucer and the epic Beowulf, and explore the differences between Old, Middle and Modern English.
“In a way you could say that Old English is still with us. It's the language that each generation has been passing on.”
The English language is full of contradictory rules and peculiarities. That’s because it’s a hybrid language, one which has evolved over many years. To make sense of it, we must go back in time and look at its roots in Old English.
Dr Mark Atherton is a lecturer and author on the subject of Old English at the University of Oxford, and in this episode he tells us how it’s changed to become the language we know today. He shares some of the fascinating phrases and words that make up Old English, like 'overmodiness' and ‘hus’. From Beowulf to Chaucer, he discusses and translates moments from some of the most famous works of Old English literature.
Check out Mark’s book Complete Old English: A Comprehensive Guide to Reading and Understanding Old English, with Original Texts.
For a special treat, listen to Mark’s full musical rendition of the Old English poem Riddle 60 here.
Find out more about our sponsor, Teach Yourself here and sign up to their newsletter. Teach Yourself is offering listeners of The Language Podcast a special 30% discount on all language eBooks, including Mark Atherton’s Complete Old English. Just enter code TYPOD30 at checkout. You can then access the title online, or download it to the accompanying Teach Yourself app. Please note: You will not be able to save the files to your computer.
Your host is polyglot Richard Simcott. The Language Podcast is an OG Podcasts production.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and a 5-star rating - it really helps to reach more language lovers like you. If you want to see more of us, you can find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/language.pod/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheLanguagePod
Website: http://www.thelanguagepodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Scots with Michael Dempster and Len Pennie
Join Len Pennie, the renowned Scots poet celebrated for her Scots word of the day on Twitter and TikTok, and Dr. Michael Dempster, director at the Scots Language Centre, as they discuss the historical divergence of Scots from English and uncover the rich tapestry of creative works that have flourished in the Scots language. Engage in the debate surrounding the thorny issue of a standardised orthography for Scots, as well as the pressing threats that endanger the future of the language.
“The time has now come for conversations about Scots to be in complete isolation from English.”
Scots and English are sister languages with many similarities, but they are not the same. These days, Scots is minoritised and often seen as ‘bad English’. But how did it get this reputation, and is its future under threat?
Len Pennie and Dr Michael Dempster join Richard to explore the divergence of Scots from English, Scots’ rich history as a language of creative works, and they share the vibrancy of the language through some of their favourite words, phrases and dialects.
Follow Len’s ‘Scots Word of the Day’ on TikTok and check out Michael’s website mindyerlanguage.scot.
Take a look at the special section on Scotticisms in The Chambers Dictionary here.
Find out more about our sponsor, the Michel Thomas Method here and sign up to their newsletter. To take advantage of their special 30% discount for listeners of The Language Podcast, just enter the code MTPOD30 at checkout.
Your host is polyglot Richard Simcott. The Language Podcast is an OG Podcasts production.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and a 5-star rating - it really helps to reach more language lovers like you. If you want to see more of us, you can find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/language.pod/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheLanguagePod
Website: http://www.thelanguagepodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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