How did English evolve? - Kate Gardoqui

What is the difference between "a hearty welcome" and "a cordial reception"? In a brief, action-packed history of the English language, Kate Gardoqui explains why these semantically equal phrases evoke such different images.

Lesson by Kate Gardoqui, animation by Ben Tobitt.

[mccmr]

"Our history lives in the words we speak and hear." well-said!

[joeylow]

This narrator's voice is so pleasant and soothing.

[Zanimater]

English isn't even my first language and I had the exact same image in my head. wow 

[Merthalophor]

Wow, this is amazing! Even myself, who doesn't speak english as a nativ language, imagined exactly what she described! I'ts like a magic trick! So cool! Language is so interesting.

[janabell]

So many people here are making disparaging remarks about this clever video. I find it to be very educational and thought-provoking. She can't possibly cover this complex topic thoroughly in 5 minutes, but she gives us the highlights in a creative, insightful way.

[sugarshock]

This segregation of english language, described in this video, is also still noticelbe in how whe call our food, especially meat today. While the lower class farmer only had to do with the animal itself and hardly could afford to eat meat, they just named the animals (for example "cow"). In contrary, the rich aristocrats only ate the meat, and never worked with the real animal, so because of french influences, they had their own names for the animals/it's meat ( cow ----> beef [from french "boef" means cow]).
That's why in english, there still are different names today for animals and it's meats.

Oh man, I just love history <3

[troychavez]

The last phrase was just amazing, so meaningful, so accurate.

[theSelodijehermano]

The letter style had also a lot to do with the way we picture both sentences.

[tsopmocful]

When those Anglish lads saw those Danish lassies, I'm not surprised that they quickly learnt the meaning of the words skin, legs, want, root, freckle. They all can be used in one sentence.

[nickzelner]

our history lives within the words we speak

[amberkry]

I always love language history. Just seeing how other languages influence one another. It's so fascinating to me

[shanthiprasadh]

I wished that there was an intro to the Great Vowel Shift, as that was significant in the evolution of the English language.

[francescakyanda]

Language is so deep-seated in society, it's really fascinating to learn more about it

[hijodesumatter]

"The memory persists, in the feelings evoked by the words you speak".

That's a trip.
And considering words alter biological changes. We're really just a shadow of the past. A continuation projected by it. We're all sea foam and part of that ocean. Wow

[keinGenug]

Awesome, I am not a native english speaker, my mother language is spanish, that is closely related with latin and arab, but it didn't matter, i pictured the very same images for the two sentences, it feels lime, as you learn a language, you, subconsciously, also learn its history, its memory, I am amazed.

[PTAdnan]

"Our history lives in the words that we speak and hear." perfect 👌

[LtStJebus]

English is awesome because it is adaptive. We're like the borg, assimilating everything we come in contact with.

Our grammar may be broken, our rules constantly ignored, and our language may seem confusing to others, but I like it. A fluent speaker can understand very complex ideas and say the same thing in a dozen ways. And when we don't have a word for something, there are easy ways to create one that make the new word seem intuitive.

[kennywood]

Very nice,  But I have a small quibble.  

"They gave us a hearty welcome.
They gave us a cordial reception."

Here, "reception" and "welcome" are (more or less) synonymous nouns in English.
But the adjectives  "hearty" and "cordial" do not mean the same thing, and in some sense, they might be opposites.  That's why they evoke different images.  Instead of "cordial, " I'd choose a different latinate word like "enthusiastic" or "effusive."

[miniaturesandstuff]

I'm not even American or British... I'm a Chinese-descent Filipino and that's EXACTLY how I imagined the mental pictures when the narrator asked us to imagine

"A Hearty Welcome" - a friendly house visit to an American friend's house, where he and his family have open arms to me and mine.

"A Cordial Reception" - striding towards the host of a black tie event where the host smiles and shakes my hand and people have wine glasses.

amazing! just to show that these language impressions/connotations transcend even cultural borders...

[lightndark]

Note to self-'Language is expression of History'.As a student of History i appreciate this from bottom of my heart.Afterall History pulsates and gets enliven through the language which we are speaking.Language is much more than semantics, grammar, syntax- it's a living legacy
in the end it was so illuminating& enlightening.