In 1066, William the Conqueror invaded Britain and bought with him fancy French words to add to the English language.

The Norman Conquest

Where did the phrase ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ come from? And when did scientists finally get round to naming sexual body parts? Voiced by Clive Anderson, this entertaining romp through 'The History of English' squeezes 1600 years of history into 10 one-minute bites, uncovering the sources of English words and phrases from Shakespeare and the King James Bible to America and the Internet.  Bursting with fascinating facts, the series looks at how English grew from a small tongue into a major global language before reflecting on the future of English in the 21st century.

Education

Where did the phrase ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ come from? And when did scientists finally get round to naming sexual body parts? Voiced by Clive Anderson, this entertaining romp through 'The History of English' squeezes 1600 years of history into 10 one-minute bites, uncovering the sources of English words and phrases from Shakespeare and the King James Bible to America and the Internet. Bursting with fascinating facts, the series looks at how English grew from a small tongue into a major global language before reflecting on the future of English in the 21st century.

Share The Norman Conquest

Sign up to save your podcasts

The Norman Conquest

The Norman Conquest

More shows like The History of English in Ten Minutes - for iPod/iPhone

History Extra podcast

Bon départ: beginners' French - Audio

Cory Doctorow: Computer and Internet Regulation - Audio

Writing Poetry - Audio

Philosophy and the Human Situation - Audio

Innovation Design: Energy and Sustainability - for iPod/iPhone

Beginners’ Chinese - Audio

Space, Time and Consciousness - for iPod/iPhone

Andante: beginners' Italian - Audio

The Galapagos - for iPod/iPhone

The History of English in Ten Minutes - for iPad/Mac/PC

The Rest Is History