Birth of a language

Bragg, Melvyn, 1939- (Added Author). Bee, Robert. (Added Author). Heaney, Seamus, 1939- (Added Author). London Weekend Television, ltd. (Added Author).

Summary: Melvyn Bragg begins the story of English in Holland, finding ancestral echoes in the Frisian dialect. Discusses the survival of the English language as it weathers Viking and Norman invasions, vying with and eventually absorbing rival tongues. Settings such as village pubs and markets bring home the lasting influence of Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, and Old French. Explores the connection between Christianity, Latin, and an alphabet, as well as the role of the language's first champion, King Alfred the Great. Nobel prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney reads from and discusses the first epic in English, Beowulf.

Record details

Physical Description: videorecording (DVD)
videodisc
1 videodisc (52 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.
Publisher: London : LWT, 2002 : Princeton, NJ : Films Media Group [distributor] : Vancouver, BC: Image Media [distributor], 2008.

Content descriptions

General Note:	Originally produced in 2002 by London Weekend Television.
Formatted Contents Note:	1. English's expedition -- 2. English's natural roots -- 3. Westward ho! -- 4. Latin lovers -- 5. Putting pen to paper -- 6. Take away the Danish -- 7. From oral to written law! -- 8. The first Normandy invasion.
Restrictions on Access Note:	Eligible B.C. post-secondary institutions only.
Creation/Production Credits Note:	Director, producer, Robert Bee; series producer, Melvyn Bragg.
Participant or Performer Note:	Presenter, Melvyn Bragg.
Additional Physical Form available Note:	Also available as streaming video file.
Language Note:	Closed captioned.