Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is a live-stream of the lecture. An edited version of the lecture will be uploaded in due course.
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https://app.sli.do/event/iL8smwedE9QS6LPRk3WWtJ
A lecture by Laura Wright
Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579) was born in London, and would have spoken what is now known as Early Modern English. Early Modern English was variable, partly because the old Anglo-Norman/Medieval Latin/Middle English system had become abandoned and monolingual English was beginning to standardise; and partly because an increase in trade meant an increase in mobility, resulting in more linguistic influences.
This lecture traces the history of some now-obsolete features of sixteenth-century London speech which can be heard in some overseas variants of English, such as in traditional blues lyrics.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/london-dialect
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/support
Website: gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
This is a live-stream of the lecture. An edited version of the lecture will be uploaded in due course.
Have a Question? No Registration Required
https://app.sli.do/event/iL8smwedE9QS6LPRk3WWtJ
A lecture by Laura Wright
Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579) was born in London, and would have spoken what is now known as Early Modern English. Early Modern English was variable, partly because the old Anglo-Norman/Medieval Latin/Middle English system had become abandoned and monolingual English was beginning to standardise; and partly because an increase in trade meant an increase in mobility, resulting in more linguistic influences.
This lecture traces the history of some now-obsolete features of sixteenth-century London speech which can be heard in some overseas variants of English, such as in traditional blues lyrics.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/london-dialect
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/support
Website: gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
