English Stew: English Lit

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

English Lit

Today in class we read about the Merchant, the Searjeant at Law, the Franklin, and the Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, and Carpet-maker. Continue your notes on these characters (your own sentence, a quote, sins/virtues, humours, food preferences, colours, clothes, horses, and physical appearance). Also consider where you'd rate each on a satir-o-meter out of 20. Finally, come up with one question about anything we read in this section today.

Why English Stew?

Why call this blog English Stew? Well, I've always thought that the English language is very much like a stew - thick, hearty, and satisfying! Its ingredients are a mixture of all the other languages and cultures with which it has come into contact over the past 1500 years: from the invading Germanic and Scandinavian tribes to the Norman French conquerors to more far-flung groups met during the age of exploration and colonization. Used by over a billion people every day, it is the international language of commerce. English is also vast - a truly global dish with one of the most extensive vocabularies of all the world's languages. It is estimated that over 25,000 new words are added each year (that's about 70 a day). The power and popularity of our language stems from this dynamism and flexibility. No bite is ever the same!

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

English Lit

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