I’ve always loved words, etymology, and the human side of history. So this podcast is the perfect blend of the three. I had been bingeing, but suddenly I’m caught up and have to wait patiently for new episodes. At least it’s baseball season so I have something else to listen to until I can soak up another episode!

Who is this beautiful madman and why has he spent such time and effort to provide us, mere strangers, with such careful and thorough instruction? Regardless, this is an absolutely cracking podcast for word nerds (werdnerds?)

I love this podcast. I have been listening for years. However, I have to admit that this is the only podcast which I listen to on 1.25 or 1.5 speed… because it’s slow. Speeding up a little helps me stay attentive! I do slow it back down to normal if he is reading in Old English.

Such a gem of a podcast! Well researched and well writtten. I hope Kevin is alright and releases more episodes

Mixing history and linguistics to tell a compelling story of the history of our language. Comprehensive and yet digestible. Remarkable achievement.

After seeing a recommendation for this podcast on Reddit, I gave it a try. I’m now attached and love this show. It’s extremely well written and executed! Kevin, you should make more podcasts for us!

I very much enjoy this. Weaves together language and history, quite fascinating.

Great combo of history, linguistics, and literature.

I’m not going to lie, this podcast is dry. Like a bag of beans, dry. But like a bag of beans, the slow simmer makes for a rich and intellectually satisfying treat. This podcast has the pace and feel of an audiobook textbook with the perk of actually hearing language instead of trying to approximate pronunciation using IPA. The phonetic alphabet is great but if you’re not already up to your neck in formal linguistic education, it’s just not enough. This podcast explores English in the context of history. HISTORY, like prehistory, and global shifts of human populations, due credit to the Indo side of proto-Indo-European, epistolary documentation of timeless squabbles and family feuds! This podcast is all about English and all the things that have made it what it is. There’s no presumption or conjecture. His presentation is thorough (he tells you when he’s skipping over tedious nitty gritty to save for another episode) well researched, and well supported. I am 5 episodes in and absolutely hooked! (Edit: I’ve been listening for YEARS at this point and I still pine for the next episode) I would say this is also appropriate for teens and young adults who have keen interest in language and a developed enough attention span. If you or someone you know is intellectually curious about English, listen to this and subscribe.

I have been listening to this podcast for YEARS and Kevin Stroud’s commitment to the quality (and quantity!) of information is remarkable. Always look forward to new episodes. Highly recommend.

Can’t believe I only just found this. Great research, great delivery, so exciting, and no ads or nonsense. You really can’t beat this.

This podcast blends together history, literature, and linguistics in a seamless and entertaining manner it’s good for active listening or just to listen to half asleep. It’s really entertaining and informative and I would definitely recommend it.

I’ve been interested in the origins of words for as long as I can remember and this podcast ties things together with history which makes it all so fascinating. Thanks, Kevin, for all your hard work in producing this podcast. Episode 114 The Craft of Numbering is exceptionally cool.

This has been one of my favorite podcasts. I have listened to the entire series twice and am on my third. ❤️❤️

I really enjoy this podcast. It’s so fun to learn about the different ways the English language has been shaped and changed over the years. And it’s cool to see all the interesting connections between different words.

Just found this podcast and, wow, it’s exactly what I hoped it would be!! Thank you to the host for how much work is put into not only the podcast but also the website! Such an informative and fun listen, would highly recommend!

中文

If you are interested in the quirks of the English language and want a scholarly discussion of it. This is the podcast for you.

One of the best podcasts out there!

I can’t believe I am just now hearing about this podcast. I am fascinated by how languages absorb the history of their peoples. I look forward to more episodes!

I have learned so much from this podcast I have become insufferable to those around me, always casting off mind blowing facts about linguistic history and it’s all thanks to the podmastery of Mr Kevin. I truly love this podcast the final episode on the history of English should literally be about this podcast because it IS PART of the history of English itself.

The amount of depth in this podcast is impressive. I am gaining so much knowledge and finding new interests!

I’ve been following this podcast for years. Stroud is among the best.

I think that the product, and the research that goes into these episodes is impressive. Especially considering the host isn't really a linguist. I also appreciate the corrections made when he says something wrong. (within reason) Considering this podcast is targeted towards non-linguists and linguists alike, I can appreciate the attempts to make everything easily understandable. Rather than over explaining or going into tangents that draw from the point for super accuracy in phonetics or culture. I think this show presents a perfect middleground. I highly recommend.

I hang on every word of this podcast and listen to some again and again. As a fabric collector and seamstress I love the episodes on the origins of words related to those topics. As a passionate reader of Shakespeare I love the episodes on that subject. In fact every episode is chock full of interesting amazing discoveries. My only issue is i wish he would have used the superb movie version of Henry The Fifth with Kenneth Branagh.

As a European medieval history major, and language nerd myself, I love this podcast! Very in-depth, and detail, and he clearly connects The historical and linguistic evidence back to modern English, and other languages. If language even slightly interests you, you need to give it a listen! Honestly, listen, even if language does not interest you. It’s that good.

Thank you, Kevin, for packing each episode with so much interesting information. The depth is incredible. I love each episode.

One of my favorite podcasts for several years. Excellent history of English language in the context of England’s political and literary history.

Simply the best Historical podcast to which I have listened. Good enough that I have gone thru it, from beginning to current episode, twice .

A comprehensive guide to understanding where the English language comes from.

My wife and I both love this podcast. Kevin Stroud is brilliant, diligent, kind, and—most important of all—has a pleasant, mellifluous voice. Perfect for bedtime or if you wake up thinking too much aboit present problems. There’s something soothing and fascinating about the past, and the merging of etymology and history is masterfully done. Sometimes I have to listen several times to finish each episode, but Mr. Stroud is an old, familiar friend. Easy on the ears.

It helped me get to sleep

I am 6 episodes in and riveted. So comprehensive and engaging. The organization is wonderful.

I love this podcast. It is very informative. My only complaint is the long periods between episodes. I wish they could be published on a more frequent schedule.

I never thought I would find a podcast about the history of the English language engrossing and fascinating. I am impatient for the new podcasts to start up again. I recommend this podcast to anyone who wonders why English has so many variations of spellings of words that sound the same. Also to anyone who is interested in history in general.

This podcast is so amazing - Kevin presents the information so clearly and at a pace that allows you to absorb the details without getting lost or overwhelmed. Each episode seems to have a narrative that links political and cultural history to changes in the English language, influences from Celts to Angles, Saxons, Vikings and of course the Norman French. I’m so grateful to have found this podcast and for all of the work that Kevin has put into this endeavor!

I owe so much to this podcast. For nearly a decade it has been a reliable source of inspiration and curiosity to me. Exquisitely researched, every episode is well-paced and presented with a clear focus that deftly weaves through historical narrative and linguistic history- often unearthing surprising connections and delightful anecdotes. One episode alone will radically expand your understanding and appreciation of English as a complex and mutable subject that both preserves and adjusts to the endless human drama involving its speakers. At risk of sounding a bit weepy and melodramatic, I am profoundly grateful to Kevin and all of the work that has gone into making this series. Thank you so much.

I enjoyed this episode for many reasons. Especially clear and valuable is the step by step explanation of this traditional meter. I learned a great deal. Thank you for such clarity in presenting this information.

I love this podcast because it combines history and language in an easy to understand and informative way. I’ve read several books on the history of English, yet I’ve probably learned more from this podcast about the connections to the other languages such as Old Norse and Norman French.

I am totally enjoying both the clear explanations and thorough depth of these podcasts. I particularly appreciate how they go back into the Indo-European origins of the language. I just hope they will consider the international uses of English in the 21st century and the many pidgin-creole languages that developed during colonialism. I am learning far more from this podcast than I did from my History of the English classes at university. A university course built around this podcast would be amazing.

I didn’t think the history of the English language was a subject that would catch my attention for more than fifteen minutes, but this became my favorite podcast. For anyone that’s ever felt like English is just three languages in a trenchcoat trying to sneak into an R rated movie: you don’t even know the half of it yet.

I’ve listened to almost all the episodes. Some were jaw dropping like the indo European language theories and the great vowel shift. I’ve learned so much about English and history here! Really great host and I’m enormously thankful this podcast is not interrupted by commercials (I also support on patreon).

This is my favorite podcast and I am constantly recommending it to others. I am so grateful to Kevin for the diligent work he puts in. I listen to old episodes most nights to fall asleep; it’s calming to me not because it’s boring, but because the details are so intricate that I can focus on the rich lives of those in the past, and I can forget my troubles in the present. Thank you, Kevin.

I’ve really enjoyed listening to this podcast. Great episodes that I always enjoy!

History of English sometimes has been wandering off topic in recent episodes. E.g., who needs another rehash of Shakespeare's life: stick to his distinctive and innovative use of the language. This podcast is excellent on the Old English and Middle English periods as well as such topics as the great vowel shift, the alphabet and foreign borrowings. Many thanks to the author for this series

I really have enjoyed learning about the history of English and “why English is the way it is.”

Thank you for the work that you put into this podcast 🙏

I so admire the incredible amount of hard work and effort put into this podcast. As a person who works with words all day long, this show is right up my alley, and I have thoroughly enjoyed binging it, learning so many new connections along the way. Thank you, Kevin, for all you do, and keep it up! Everyone who speaks English should listen to this valuable piece of educational work.

I’ve been listening to this podcast for years. I’m approaching the Norman conquest in 1066. It’s very well written, and the presenter is great. He does a great job explaining complexity by going slow, with loads of detail, and telling the history alongside the language changes.

As a first grade teacher, a large part of instruction centers around phonemic and alphabetic knowledge. What a gift is has been to not just present to the children the different sounds associated with a written letter, but to be able to explain WHY there are various sounds. The History of English Podcast has also let to our class more deeply understanding how the different languages we are able to speak are actually connected, as are we. They look forward to stories about the history of English. The children are fascinated as I relay various facts. Each occasion has been met with applause. This podcast will grow your own knowledge as well as your ability to share that knowledge with people of all ages.