Language A to Z

Overview

Course No. 20010
With over 6,000 languages worldwide, linguistics can seem complex – but it’s full of quirky, fascinating insights! In these 24 bite-sized lectures, Professor John McWhorter uses the English alphabet as a fun framework to explore:

• Surprising origins of common words and phrases
• How languages evolve and influence each other
• Quirks of English pronunciation and grammar
• Endangered languages and linguistic diversity
• The science behind how we communicate

Delivered with humor and insight, this fast-paced tour reveals the hidden wonders of human language, from ancient Aramaic to modern texting slang.

Video Lessons

1. A for Aramaic (16 min)
   Explore this influential ancient language: its rise, decline, and modern remnants.
2. B for Baby Mama (14 min)
   How “baby mama” reflects African-American Vernacular English’s unique grammar.
3. C for Compounds (16 min)
   Discover how accent shifts create new words (loudspeaker vs. loud speaker).
4. D for Double Negatives (14 min)
   Why most languages use them – and why English teachers disapprove.
5. E for Etymology (15 min)
   Surprising backstories: “eeny meeny,” “quaint,” and why we “drink punches.”
6. F for First Words (16 min)
   Why “mama”/”papa” dominate baby talk across cultures.
7. G for Greek Alphabet (16 min)
   How ancient Greece gave us writing based on sounds, not pictures.
8. H for Hobbits (17 min)
   Could Homo floresiensis have had their own simplified language?
9. I for Island (15 min)
   Why English spelling is chaotic (blame Latin and the Great Vowel Shift).
10. J for Jamaican (14 min)
    How patois developed from African slaves adapting English.
11. K for Ket (15 min)
    Siberia’s tiny but grammatically complex language.
12. L for Like (15 min)
    Why young people’s “like” is actually sophisticated communication.
13. M for Maltese (16 min)
    Europe’s only Arabic language and the fuzzy borders between dialects.
14. N for Native American English (17 min)
    How pidgin languages bridged communication gaps.
15. O for Oldsters in Cartoons (15 min)
    How vintage cartoons preserved rural vs. urban speech patterns.
16. P for Plurals, Q for Quiz (16 min)
    Why some languages ignore plurals + the mysterious origin of “quiz.”
17. R for R-lessness (17 min)
    The disappearing “R” in British and American accents.
18. S for She (15 min)
    The evolution of pronouns from “thou” to singular “they.”
19. T for Tone (16 min)
    Why tonal languages cluster in specific regions.
20. U for Understand (16 min)
    How verbs morph into nouns in creative slang.
21. V for Vocabulary (16 min)
    Why counting words favors written over spoken languages.
22. W for What’s Up, Doc? (16 min)
    The ever-changing role of slang from Shakespeare to texting.
23. X for !Xóõ, Y for Yiddish (15 min)
    Africa’s click languages and Yiddish’s surprising vitality.
24. Z for Zed (15 min)
    The underdog letter’s journey from Phoenicia to modern English.