The History of the English Language, 2nd Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 7 ratings

Price: 36.71

Last update: 12-25-2024


About this item

This course offers an overview of the English language that is literary, historical, cultural, political, and scientific in its scope and designed to give you greater insight into the written and spoken word.The lectures provide a thorough understanding of the history of the English language - from its origins as a dialect of the Germanic-speaking peoples through the literary and cultural documents of its 1,500-year span to the state of American speech today.

Professor Lerer defines concepts by illustrating them with copious examples. He often speaks in the dialect appropriate to each lecture - be it Old English, Chaucer’s Middle English, or the colloquial style of Mark Twain’s most unforgettable characters.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved them then
    Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2014
    I listened to all of these twice through as borrowed library items. Loved them then, and am very happy to own the set now. Lerer is an orator.
  • Suzette Kamm
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018
    Used it to learn about the English language.
  • PupBuddy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2018
    Perfect, thanks!
  • Philip Thwing
    2.0 out of 5 stars Sooooo Tedious!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2014
    With the positive reviews here and the very interesting topic, I was really looking forward to this series. Having schlogged through the entire course of 36 lectures, I can't imagine how Dr. Lehrer got so many stars.
    He restates and belabors every point, focuses on the dull and skims over the interesting. After making my way through the first lectures on Indoeuropean, I thought that perhaps I had gotten past the tedious-though-necessary bits. Boy, was I wrong! The first lectures on the origins of language turned out to be some of the most interesting.
    I hope that Great Courses finds another, more succinct lecturer to teach about the English language. The topic is so interesting and full of possibilities, but this lecturer failed to bring them out.
  • Fiona Wilde
    5.0 out of 5 stars Every English teacher should be listening!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2014
    Fantastic--I am going to incorporate some of this information in my English classes in the fall. If you are taking English in high school you should learn something about how the language came to be.

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