The English Adventure

Ep 8: A Sense of Wonder

In the final episode of this season – it’s been quite a journey, hasn’t it? – we talk about states of mind that feed our imagination: awe and wonder. Whereas “wonder” is more associated with curiosity in trying to understand the world, “awe” is more related to grasping it in a more existential way. And there’s no shortage of either in learning a foreign language, is there? They both make us feel more humble, more in tune with the universe, and should be cherished dearly. The books mentioned in this episode are “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life”, by Dacher Keltner, and “Orbital”, by Samantha Harvey. The T. S. Eliot quote is from a poem called “Little Gidding”. You can find it here: https://shorturl.at/Tl71K [https://shorturl.at/Tl71K] Do you like our podcast? Please share it and leave us a review. Let’s make our English adventure all the more adventurous: @beatriz_alessi

Ep 7: The English

Imagine spreading your language so far and wide that it becomes universal. That’s what the English did – and that’s no small feat! However, one can argue that, still, they have an identity crisis, in a post-Empire and post-Brexit world. So, in this episode, we ask: who are the English, as a people? How do they see themselves in a country that calls itself various names? And how do they see themselves under the umbrella of “Britishness”? The book mentioned in this episode is “The English: A Portrait of a People”, by Jeremy Paxman. If you would like to listen to Winston Churchill’s famous wartime speech, you can find it here: https://tinyurl.com/4ehjjsxc [https://tinyurl.com/4ehjjsxc] The 1942 patriotic film “In Which We Serve” can also be found on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/3cw7m39m [https://tinyurl.com/3cw7m39m] Do you like our podcast? Please share it and leave us a review. Let’s make our English adventure all the more adventurous: @beatriz_alessi

Ep:6 ‘To-may-to’, ‘To-mah-to’

A centuries-old rivalry that goes back all the way to American Independence from Britain, in 1776. Which English is better (/ˈbet.ər/)? Or should I say ‘better’ ( /ˈbet̬.ɚ/)? British or American? To a certain extent, the British see themselves as “guardians” of the English language, King Charles III included. But American English has made an enormous contribution to a language that has become universal. If anything, it has made English perhaps more straightforward – and less French. In this episode, we’ll talk about this love-hate relationship and about how “the King’s English” eventually became “the people’s English”. The book mentioned in this episode is “The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English”, by Lynne Murphy. Lynne also has a blog in which she explores the often subtle differences between American and British English. Check it out: https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/p/about-lynneguist.htmlhttps://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/ [https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/] Do you like our podcast? Please share it and leave us a review. Let’s build a community of English lovers: @beatriz_alessi

Ep 5: The Bard

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as perhaps “the greatest writer ever in the English language”. Often referred to as “the Bard”, he refined the language like no other before him and made such a huge contribution to theatre and literature that we could well say there’s English before and after Shakespeare. In this episode, we will dive into the Shakespearean world and find out why the Bard’s believed to have invented human nature, as we know it. If you’d like to get more acquainted with Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, you can find it in modern English. Check out “Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Modern English”, transcribed by Steven Smith. The other book mentioned in this episode is “Nutshell”, by Ian McEwan. If you’d like to take a peek at Ragley Hall, visit https://www.ragley.co.uk/ [https://www.ragley.co.uk/] Do you like our podcast? Please share it and leave us a review. Let’s build a community of English lovers: @beatriz_alessi

Ep 4: Kings and Queens

Why do we still seem so obsessed with royalty in the 21st century? What is it about the monarchy that makes it so appealing to people the world over? We love the pomp and circumstance, the pageantry, the crown and sceptre, the gowns, not to mention all the royal gossip! In this episode, we will travel through time to trace the origins of the British monarchy and I will tell you about the day I was invited to one of the Queen’s Garden Parties, in the summer of 1991. Yes, that was quite something! If you’re a royal fan and would like to dive into the history of the monarchy, you might want to check out this book: “A Brief History of the British Monarchy: From the Iron Age to King Charles III”, by British historian Jeremy Black. The 1969 BBC documentary on the British Royal Family can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/en8ns6hu [https://tinyurl.com/en8ns6hu] Do you like our podcast? Please share it and leave us a review so we can build a community of English lovers: @beatriz_alessi