Media Collections - Off-air Television Broadcasts (Part 1) - Library ...

01/05, 06/02/05, 13/02/05, 20/02/05, 27/02/05. Copied under Part 5A of the
Copyright Act 1968.
Close captioned for the hearing-impaired.
Colour recording system: PAL ; Region all.
[disc 1] episode 1. [Birth of a language] ; episode 2. [English goes
underground] / produced and directed by Robert Bee -- [disc 2] episode 3. [The
battle for the language of the Bible] / produced and directed by David Thomas ;
episode 4. [This earth, this realm, this England] / produced and directed by
Nigel Wattis -- [disc 3] episode 5. [English in America] / produced and directed
by David Thomas ; episode 6. [Speaking proper] / produced and directed by Nigel
Wattis -- [disc 4] episode 7. [The language of empire] / produced and directed
by Robert Bee ; episode 8. [Many tongues called English, one world language] /
produced and directed by Nigel Wattis.
Directors, Robert Bee (epidoses 1 & 2) David Thomas (episode 3 & 5) Nigel Wattis
(episodes 4, 6 & 8).
This eight-part story tells how a minor Germanic dialect evolved into the
English language which is now the language of millions around the world. Two
thousand years ago, English started as a tribal, guttural dialect, spoken by a
few thousand people, seemingly isolated in a small island. A thousand years ago,
it established its first base camp, from where it developed, adapting and
changing amidst radical political and social upheavals, through history.
Travelling across Britain, Melvyn Bragg traces the roots of the English language
to Ango-Saxon times, through Danish invaders, medieval French and Renaissance
Latin, four of the main contributors to modern English.
By the Elizabethan age, English completely dominated the British Isles, poised
for its travels further afield. The 18th and 19th centuries see attempts at
reforming and standardising the tongue, and the soaring verse of Romanticism and
verbal prudishness of the Victorian era. Linguistic milestones are highlighted
by original editions of critical texts.
English left Britain through British interests abroad, where it was changed and
recharged, giving birth to new 'Englishes'. In the 17th century, it journeyed to
the New World via the pilgrim fathers, and evolved into American English. It
travelled to multilingual India where it became a unifying tongue. In the West
Indies new English dialects were formed; and in Australia the variation in used
is now returning to influence the mother country. Melvyn Bragg brings it full
circle to the British Isles to survey English as it is spoken today, measuring
the influence of American slang and vocabulary from other languages. The outcome
is an immeasurably enriched English language.
First released: [London] : London Weekend Television, c2002-c2003.
DVD.
Colour recording system: PAL ; Region 4.
ERC DVD.
420.9 ADVE.
disc 1/2 epis.1-4.
[ENGLISH IN AMERICA] [VIDEORECORDING] / PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY DAVID THOMAS ;
[WRITTEN AND PRESENTED BY] MELVYN BRAGG.
Off-air recording of the SBS program broadcast 06/02/05. Copied under Part 5A of
the Copyright Act 1968.
Close captioned for the hearing-impaired.
Colour recording system: PAL ; Region 4.
Title supplied by cataloguer.
'An LTW Production.' 'Granada.'
Script editor, Simon Cherry; editor, Tony Webb.
When the Massasoit hailed the Plymouth settlers in their own language, little
did they realise that English would dominate the New World. This episode
features surprising etymologies and intriguing stories, tracing the dynamic
relationship between English and America. It explores the linguistic influence
of westward expansion, cowboy culture, slave culture, and encounters with the