BBC Documentaries

Scuffles, Swagger and Shakespeare: The Hidden Story of English (2019x240)

Uitzenddatum: Nov 12, 2019

The man often given credit for the global triumph of English, and the invention of many of our modern words, is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's plays first hit the stage four centuries ago, as the explorers of Elizabethan England were laying the foundations for the British empire. It was this empire that would carry English around the world. Language historian Dr John Gallagher asks whether the real story of how English became a global linguistic superpower is more complex. If you had stopped an Elizabethan on the streets and told them their language was going to become the most powerful one in the world, they would have laughed in your face. At the time the English language was obscure and England an isolated country. John's quest to find out how English became a global language sees him investigate everything from what it was like to be an immigrant in Elizabethan Britain to how new technology is transforming our understanding of Shakespeare.