History of the English language

Description

Three versions of the Judgment of Solomon story illustrate the changes that have taken place in the English language across more than a millennium: from Aelfric's 10th-century account of how Solomon's wisdom reached to the truth, through Middle, to Early Modern and Modern English. At each stage, the grammar and vocabulary of the pieces are analyzed, as are the social assumptions of the writers. The Old and Middle English selections are read by scholars of the period.

Runtime

20 min

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

[2008], c1990

Database

Films on Demand

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