The History of English Podcast

Episode 18: Keeping Time With The Romans

4 snips
Jan 2, 2013
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INSIGHT

Caesar's Lasting Linguistic Footprint

  • Julius Caesar's calendar reforms and name left deep linguistic traces in English, like July and the Julian calendar.
  • Late Latin sound changes in Gaul shifted pronunciations that later influenced English via French.
ANECDOTE

Celtic Calendar Discovery

  • Archaeologists found a first-century BC Celtic calendar written in Roman letters but in a Celtic dialect.
  • It shows Celtic astronomical calculations independent of Roman systems.
INSIGHT

Day Words Have Mixed Roots

  • Latin diu (day) produced many English words like diary, dial, diet, and adjourn.
  • But English day traces to a separate Germanic root, so 'day' and 'date' aren't cognates.
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