Reading time: 5-10 minutes For this month, I’d like to highlight a phonological phenomenon that should be part of the conceptual toolkit of all etymology fans. It’s something that’s happened in the history of English, and in languages that have gone on to influence English. Awareness of this change can therefore clarify and connect allContinue reading “Humble Thimbles and Thor’s Thunder”
Category Archives: Etymology
The Fates of the Dual
The Story of Indo-European’s (Mostly) Lost Number Reading time: 10 minutes Introduction One book, many books. One cat, many cats. One woman, many women. One sheep, many… well, also sheep. In Modern English, the grammatical options for nouns are limted to two. A given noun can be singular, referring to one individual thing, or plural,Continue reading “The Fates of the Dual”
Streets Ahead: When Roman Roads Met Old English
Reading time: 5 minutes (With my apologies to subscribers for the second email, following an accidental premature publication) I’m very keen to share a fun linguistic adventure that I found myself on this week, as I dug down into the history of the humble English word street. It all began with a Patreon post byContinue reading “Streets Ahead: When Roman Roads Met Old English”
Christmas Trees and Etymologies
Reading time: 5 minutes As an etymological Christmas gift from me for 2023, here’s a quick dive into the story and connections of one festive word: the humble Christmas tree. Now, Modern English tree goes back to Old English trēow, which could mean a specific tree or the substance of wood. … Ġeseah iċ wuldres trēow,wǣdum ġeweorðode, wynnum sċīnan,ġeġyred mid golde; ġimmas hæfdonbewriġene weorðlīċeContinue reading “Christmas Trees and Etymologies”
The Reichenau Glossary and the Birth of French
Reading time: 10 minutes Now, I must confess, I have been somewhat preoccupied for the past two months, and so haven’t dedicated time to this site. The jump into the world of podcasting has taken a lot of effort, and yet the website hasn’t been far from my thoughts. So, for this October, I’m gettingContinue reading “The Reichenau Glossary and the Birth of French”
Five Antiquities of English
Reading time: 10-15 minutes To listen along in an audio format, just click here: IT’S WELL KNOWN that English has undergone many significant changes down the centuries. Events like the Norman Conquest have drastically altered the shape of the language, influencing words and sounds so much that a new kind of English was born. YetContinue reading “Five Antiquities of English”
Learning English Etymology with Will!
A newflash from me: I’ve made a move into the world of animation! Up now on YouTube is a brand-new video on etymology and the history of English, partly narrated and scripted by me. It’s collaboration with the talented animator Will as part of his Learn with Will series of educational videos, and you canContinue reading “Learning English Etymology with Will!”
The Gaulish in English, in 10 Words
Reading time: 10-15 minutes To hear me speaking in my not-quite-best Latin, you can listen along here: IF you know a thing or two about Roman history, you will have come across the Gauls. They loom large in the story of Rome’s rise to dominance, both as their aggressor and as victims of their conquests.Continue reading “The Gaulish in English, in 10 Words”
Behind the Scenes of Etymology with YouTube’s Jackson Crawford
Just another personal bit of news from me: my appearance as a virtual guest and interviewee of Dr Jackson Crawford is now up on YouTube! Dr Crawford is one of the biggest linguistics YouTubers active at the moment, and it was a real thrill to be invited for one of his Patreon interviews. You canContinue reading “Behind the Scenes of Etymology with YouTube’s Jackson Crawford”
Journeying into gender with Words for Granted!
Hot on the heels on my previous podcast appearance, I joined Ray from the popular and long-running etymology podcast Words for Granted to talk about grammatical gender – what it is, why it exists, where it comes from and how English managed to completely lose it! You can listen to the episode in full here:Continue reading “Journeying into gender with Words for Granted!”
Danny L. Bate 