Eureka! Thank you for uploading this series. I've been looking for this for a long time. Thank you, British peoples. Your cultural and linguistic heritage benefits the world.
Very interesting series, it's remarkable how the energy of the person in this video is free of the speedy, restless and ungroundedness that is so often palpable in people who spend much time on internet. It's something I've found also in other presenters of documentaries that are pre-digital. The body language and poise is different. I imagine that my own pre-digital date of birth is the cause of feeling more familiar and at ease with that energy of presence.
I am so really pleased that this still remains on youtube, for educational purposes, it is in my view a superior documentary to the Adventure of English, hosted by Melvyn Bragg, although even that is quite good. I last saw this on UA-cam, when UA-cam was an independent thing, in the good old days.
+joanne stecko I had the book as well but it disappeared over the years, I expect thanks to one of my children making off with it. I just ordered myself a new one via amazon.
I LOVE languages & linguistics. Picked it up from my dad. & l love documentaries. l 1st saw this in some English class my freshman yr. in college. Forgot all about it but l REALLY LOVED the documentary. I googled every title l could to find this. THANKS A MILLION 4 POSTING THIS SERIES!!!
I watched this sprawling documentary when my wife rented the VHS from a library in west lafayette. The programme was so well made, i watched it at a stretch! The DVDs are very hard to come by...its very sad for such an outstanding work. So...thanks for posting the entire series here. This is gold.
I remember this series, because I remember when my parents often watched the McNeil/Lehrer News Hour and I recognised Robert McNeil. I think they should do a follow up to this series because in the 25 years since this first aired, with newer modern technology such as the internet, imagine how many of all the sites on the world wide web are written in English. and more recent items like the iPod, iPad, iPhone etc. Modern inventions like these have most certainly played a role on English Language.
@prakar I quite agree. It is an excellent series on the history of English, detailed, profound, and accurate. It should be known as the benchmark for such programs and should be on DVD. And thanks too for uploading these, DesparaisAsin, theyreally are a seminal work.
I first watched this in my linguistics class in college 6 or 7 years ago. The theme music at 1:14 brings back good memories. I miss studying English... it's a cruel world that forces you to work in a field you hate if you want to financially survive.
This video is rather old, BUT it doesn't matter since it's about English history. I really love these kind of videos. This is what I was looking for. Thanks so much!
Yes, variety is better than dialect. I gave up on concept of correct English when I learned about the creation of encyclopedias and dictionaries. It was all open before that. English being flexible is why it endures.
About a decade and a half later from this 1986 series, the BBC tackled the same subject with "The Adventure of English." Pretty much going over the same stuff....probably a little more detail than the PBS version. They both start out in the same area.....Freisland. Both are pretty good, the BBC's version is basically an update, since that series was filmed in the 21st century.
My ongoing (and abiding) question is, 'Why has the United States of America NOT seen fit to declare English our official national language'? To me, it's a 'sine qua non' and the failure to do so has contributed to a self-identity dilemma, if not an outright 'identity crisis'.
What a "billion" means depends on where (and when) you are. In North America, a billion has pretty much always been a thousand million, but until very recently in Britain it would have meant a million million. (A thousand million would have been a "milliard", but the term was rarely used.) This show is not that old (1986) but the word "billion" would still have been ambiguous then.
The country with the largest number of competent or good English speakers is India. It is estimated that nearly 20% of the population use English regularly, and around a third of the population are capable of holding a conversation in English. That is nearly 400 million English speakers in India alone, more than the populations of Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand combined.
Haha less than a quarter of the world speaks some English the operative word being some :) I actually got directed to this doc by a chapter in the Esperanto book talking about the myth of an English talking world
@alexross8 Forgive me too. How old are you? You obviously like language. Are you into Noam Chomsky? He's one of my heroes. Technically, the Normandy Conquest, 1066, made by William, was really Norwegian and Viking.
9:10 that makes me sad. The working class accents are the best and shouldn't be scrubbed out of people. I am one of the few people left who speaks with a real working class Chicago accent. The type you'd hear in the 1970s and 80s in Bridgeport or even Franklin Park or Melrose Park back in the day.
At 2:37, the narrator says "so an Italian pilot flying an Italian jet into Italian airspace contacts ground control speaking only English", but at 2:26 the controller is clearly heard speaking to the pilot in Italian. Funny how as an Anglophone it's easy to overlook these things… we hear what we want to.
actually, that's not the case any more, even in British English a billion is a thousand million. But you're probably right for when this video was made. (source is the oxford dictionary website. search "How many is a billion")
@inenglishwithseries Not necessarily. I speak English in exactly the accent of the narrator, and it´s natural to me. It´s simply depends on where you´re from.
@RadioFreeWisconsin I think it's a pity. I speak some German and there is "proper" German, referred to as "Hoch Deutsch" which is used by journalists, news reporters. and documentaries, schools, etc. It is unifying amonst the huge amounts of dialects. It unifies people and when I travelled in Austria, Switzerland, and Liechenstein, my "Hoch Deustch was understood everywhere. It may have seemed snooty for a native, but worked for a foreigner. Screw Ebonics. Love Wisconsin accent! Family there!
It talked about Iranian's demonstrating in English, so is this as old as 1979 when the Iranian Islamic Revolution hit? If so, wow this is old! But still a great documentary nonetheless.
britain is funny in that many people there say they're more liberal than americans when infact there's far greater social restrictions there and a more rigid class system in place
@gyforget The documentary is more than 20 years old. I guess URSS still existed while they were talking about it. If you didn't like it, why did you even make this irrelevant comment? That's a lost of your time
@bigfriendlyben Absolutely. This country is epic in size. And you must travel thousands of miles to come across the stereotyped Ozark inbred idiot accent, or to Savannah, Georgia to hear a southern accent of a wealthy family with a debutante daughter. And in Wisconsin, there is an accent, that you can tell is influenced by being close to Canada and the farming Midwest. Of course, New York has its share of accents. So does Boston, where there is an "Ivory tower" elite group comparable to England.
Eureka! Thank you for uploading this series. I've been looking for this for a long time. Thank you, British peoples. Your cultural and linguistic heritage benefits the world.
Very interesting series, it's remarkable how the energy of the person in this video is free of the speedy, restless and ungroundedness that is so often palpable in people who spend much time on internet.
It's something I've found also in other presenters of documentaries that are pre-digital. The body language and poise is different. I imagine that my own pre-digital date of birth is the cause of feeling more familiar and at ease with that energy of presence.
I am so really pleased that this still remains on youtube, for educational purposes, it is in my view a superior documentary to the Adventure of English, hosted by Melvyn Bragg, although even that is quite good.
I last saw this on UA-cam, when UA-cam was an independent thing, in the good old days.
I saw this when I was a kid-it began the love of documentaries for me-I even had the guide book.
+joanne stecko I had the book as well but it disappeared over the years, I expect thanks to one of my children making off with it. I just ordered myself a new one via amazon.
No way, me too. This was on channel 11wttw Chicago when I was a kid back in the early 90s. My dad loved this doc so much he taped it (on VHS)
Saw some of the series on Ch 2 in Boston. Had a copy of the book, which I really enjoyed. But sadly, I've lost it. Thanks for posting this!
I love english. It has simple grammar and it is fairly easy to pronounce. That's the best possible language to communicate internationally!
I LOVE languages & linguistics. Picked it up from my dad. & l love documentaries. l 1st saw this in some English class my freshman yr. in college. Forgot all about it but l REALLY LOVED the documentary. I googled every title l could to find this.
THANKS A MILLION 4 POSTING THIS SERIES!!!
I watched this sprawling documentary when my wife rented the VHS from a library in west lafayette. The programme was so well made, i watched it at a stretch! The DVDs are very hard to come by...its very sad for such an outstanding work. So...thanks for posting the entire series here. This is gold.
I remember this series, because I remember when my parents often watched the McNeil/Lehrer News Hour and I recognised Robert McNeil. I think they should do a follow up to this series because in the 25 years since this first aired, with newer modern technology such as the internet, imagine how many of all the sites on the world wide web are written in English. and more recent items like the iPod, iPad, iPhone etc. Modern inventions like these have most certainly played a role on English Language.
This is the series that solidified my desire to become an English teacher. Shows how tv can be inspirational. Thanks for uploading!
I enjoyed this series on PBS the first time around and am delighted to find it on youtube.
@prakar I quite agree. It is an excellent series on the history of English, detailed, profound, and accurate. It should be known as the benchmark for such programs and should be on DVD.
And thanks too for uploading these, DesparaisAsin, theyreally are a seminal work.
This is among the best documentaries.
I first watched this in my linguistics class in college 6 or 7 years ago. The theme music at 1:14 brings back good memories. I miss studying English... it's a cruel world that forces you to work in a field you hate if you want to financially survive.
I've read the book, now I'll watch the show! ( In English!)
This video is rather old, BUT it doesn't matter since it's about English history. I really love these kind of videos. This is what I was looking for. Thanks so much!
Yes, variety is better than dialect. I gave up on concept of correct English when I learned about the creation of encyclopedias and dictionaries. It was all open before that. English being flexible is why it endures.
I loved this documentary when I was younger! I am so glad to have found it here!
really . i love it. the story is very nice and amazing
Watched this in elementary school for a week or so when the teacher rolled the tv and vcr in on a stand😄 Those were the days. Loved it since
The Buenos Aires Herald was an English language daily newspaper published in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1876 to 2017
This was one fo the best series ever aired
This was an amazing series! I wish they would rebroadcast it!
About a decade and a half later from this 1986 series, the BBC tackled the same subject with "The Adventure of English." Pretty much going over the same stuff....probably a little more detail than the PBS version. They both start out in the same area.....Freisland. Both are pretty good, the BBC's version is basically an update, since that series was filmed in the 21st century.
I wish this was on DVD. It was a great program. I still have to book from the series.
Hahaaaaaah what's with the Harry Potter!? O_o This is older than Harry Potter movies so maybe this video was inspiration for the Harry's nerd style.
Do you know where I can purchase a DVD set of this documentary? I've been looking everywhere, but have been unable to find it.
At 8:27 I see that Hogwarts allowed muggles to interview Harry Potter😉⚡️!
Man... Documentaries from the 1980s and 1890's were so much better
There are so many good videos on UA-cam.
I love the music of this series
RIP Robert MacNeil.....Godspeed
Okay English can really help unite this world together :)
Love the music. Who composed it
thanks for posting these videos
My ongoing (and abiding) question is, 'Why has the United States of America NOT seen fit to declare English our official national language'? To me, it's a 'sine qua non' and the failure to do so has contributed to a self-identity dilemma, if not an outright 'identity crisis'.
Guy at 8:30 is a wizard. He's hiding a lightning bolt scar with his hair.
Amzing
Telexes and telegrams... does anyone remember them?
I do...
I do. And Wow. That's when you know you're old. Time flies and so does technology
Yes. Sent a telegram once.......
What a "billion" means depends on where (and when) you are. In North America, a billion has pretty much always been a thousand million, but until very recently in Britain it would have meant a million million. (A thousand million would have been a "milliard", but the term was rarely used.) This show is not that old (1986) but the word "billion" would still have been ambiguous then.
Even today the Krauts still think it means 1000 million.
Point proven, something like 380 million out of 7 billion speak English fluently although no-one can understate it's international importance.
The country with the largest number of competent or good English speakers is India. It is estimated that nearly 20% of the population use English regularly, and around a third of the population are capable of holding a conversation in English. That is nearly 400 million English speakers in India alone, more than the populations of Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand combined.
Thanks so much for uploading this!
"well over a thousand million people make some use Britsh or American English every day", says McNeil in Canadian English
Haha less than a quarter of the world speaks some English the operative word being some :)
I actually got directed to this doc by a chapter in the Esperanto book talking about the myth of an English talking world
Could you add the other videos please?
Also see "metric prefixes", in wikipedia, short and long scale number words. A thousand million is 10 to the power of 9, or 1 followed by 0 zeroes.
Yay, I love this series. I even have the accompanying book!
Esperanto is also pretty mythical in its own right! So much so that promoters of it might want to play-down other languages' importance? You decide.
I love UA-cam!!! Thank you for posting... got an essay due tomorrow and you just saved my ass ;)
questo video fa parte del programma del mio esame di inglese 3. grrrrr !!
Open your mind and learn other languages and discover others cultures...
@alexross8 Forgive me too. How old are you? You obviously like language. Are you into Noam Chomsky? He's one of my heroes. Technically, the Normandy Conquest, 1066, made by William, was really Norwegian and Viking.
harry potter is that you?!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
This is an important oni
9:10 that makes me sad. The working class accents are the best and shouldn't be scrubbed out of people.
I am one of the few people left who speaks with a real working class Chicago accent. The type you'd hear in the 1970s and 80s in Bridgeport or even Franklin Park or Melrose Park back in the day.
What is the opening song called?
do you know on which year this video was made?
I like the part where he says 'boogie-woogie'.
At 2:37, the narrator says "so an Italian pilot flying an Italian jet into Italian airspace contacts ground control speaking only English", but at 2:26 the controller is clearly heard speaking to the pilot in Italian. Funny how as an Anglophone it's easy to overlook these things… we hear what we want to.
I hate it when people list things and finally say "and even.." when the last thing was no more surprising than the previous.
What is this song called?
When was this produced?
actually, that's not the case any more, even in British English a billion is a thousand million. But you're probably right for when this video was made.
(source is the oxford dictionary website. search "How many is a billion")
kiitos
Did anybody else notice that the schoolboy looks just like Harry Potter :D
This is supposed to be a 9 part series but I only see 7 parts. hmm...
And to think at one point in English history, the language almost became extinct.
8:30 Harri Potteri. Ihan varraan.
@prakar try civilisation by kenneth Clark.
@inenglishwithseries Not necessarily. I speak English in exactly the accent of the narrator, and it´s natural to me. It´s simply depends on where you´re from.
I understand how English is the language of aviation, but why would an Italian pilot, communicate with italian people on the ground... in English??
@alexross8 You do know that English is a Germanic language, as opposed to French, which a Romance language? No sarcasm intended. :)
But where’s the rest of it? 😢
. . . fuck me, it's Harry Potter at the end there!
RIP Mr. MacNeil...
@RadioFreeWisconsin I think it's a pity. I speak some German and there is "proper" German, referred to as "Hoch Deutsch" which is used by journalists, news reporters. and documentaries, schools, etc. It is unifying amonst the huge amounts of dialects. It unifies people and when I travelled in Austria, Switzerland, and Liechenstein, my "Hoch Deustch was understood everywhere. It may have seemed snooty for a native, but worked for a foreigner. Screw Ebonics. Love Wisconsin accent! Family there!
It talked about Iranian's demonstrating in English, so is this as old as 1979 when the Iranian Islamic Revolution hit? If so, wow this is old! But still a great documentary nonetheless.
boogie woogie!
"Public school English?"
I call it "Rich People English."
English rules> I need no other.
britain is funny in that many people there say they're more liberal than americans when infact there's far greater social restrictions there and a more rigid class system in place
7:57 Randolph Quirk
oh god that kid was totally acting just like woody allen
Is that Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter? Aren't they supposed to be playing Quidditch? Maybe this is where J.K. Rowling found her inspiration.
Damn it why can't you keep a secret?!
omg...how retro.... little did they know how not impressive images of computers would be in 2011... it's almost cute...
@gyforget The documentary is more than 20 years old. I guess URSS still existed while they were talking about it. If you didn't like it, why did you even make this irrelevant comment? That's a lost of your time
@jradetzky
1985 l think.
The CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY & super popular TV shows that r about 2 premier (3 decades ago) help confirm this.
Robert MacNeil has passed away, aged 93
@bigfriendlyben Absolutely. This country is epic in size. And you must travel thousands of miles to come across the stereotyped Ozark inbred idiot accent, or to Savannah, Georgia to hear a southern accent of a wealthy family with a debutante daughter. And in Wisconsin, there is an accent, that you can tell is influenced by being close to Canada and the farming Midwest. Of course, New York has its share of accents. So does Boston, where there is an "Ivory tower" elite group comparable to England.
Yes the boy at 8:26 :)
I wonder if 75% of telegrams are still sent in English?
oh a couple dozen or so
1986 .
Pray explain!
In English a billion = a million million... its only a thousand million in the US.
@robbie159 that's exactly what I thought! hah!
posh c u next tuesdays
indeed but nobody except them has a clue what they are saying.
Guy at 8:48 is a vampire.
OMFG HARRY POTTER @ 8:30