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Episode 153: Zombie Letters

The History of English Podcast

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How Did Longage Pass Into English in the Early Middle English Period?

The word language is derived from the latin word lingua, spelled l i n g u a. The romans had the w sound, and they represented it with the letter u,. But again, the standard french of paris lost that sound over time. And just as stuart lost its w when it passed into french, we have examples where french words actually gained a w sound when they were borrowed into english. Sometimes that process can work in reverse. A drop letter can be revived and brought back to life, and when it's put back in the word, it can start to be pronounced again.

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