How was the English Language invented?

Summary

Who Smarted? Podcast Episode Summary

Episode: How Was the English Language Invented?
Date: May 13, 2026
Host: Trusty Narrator (Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media)
Special Guest: The Word Bird
Audience: Kids, families, and curious-minded listeners

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Main Theme and Purpose

This episode takes listeners on a fun and engaging journey through the history of the English language. With the help of the whimsical "Word Bird"—who sports wings made of dictionary pages—the "Trusty Narrator" explores how the English language was invented, how its alphabet and spelling came to be, why there are different kinds of English, and why English is so full of quirks and oddities. Combining storytelling, humor, and interactive trivia, the episode offers a lively introduction to the fascinating evolution of English, designed to engage kids and their families.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Origins of Writing (04:27–07:14)

• Earliest Writing Systems

  • The story begins before the English alphabet, around 4000 BCE, with cuneiform in ancient Iraq.
  • Cuneiform was an ancient writing system made up of wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets.
  • (Quote:)
    • Word Bird (05:35): "Cuneiform consisted of wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets. It was the very earliest writing in the world."
  • Writing evolved to hieroglyphs in Egypt around 3000 BCE, which used pictures to represent ideas, sounds, or objects.
  • These systems weren’t true alphabets, as symbols often stood for entire ideas rather than just sounds.

• Emergence of Alphabets

  • Around 1500 BCE, the Phoenician alphabet is developed—the first writing system to represent individual sounds more consistently.
  • The modern English alphabet is heavily influenced by the Roman alphabet, not the Phoenician one directly.
  • (Quote:)
    • Word Bird (07:48): "We use an alphabet similar to the Roman alphabet to write English, as well as French, Italian, Spanish... Our alphabet has 26 different letters, but some alphabets have way more."

• Origin of the Word “Alphabet”

  • The word comes from the Phoenician letters aleph and beth.

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2. The Creation of Dictionaries and English Words (08:31–10:27)

• First Dictionaries
  • The first known English dictionary is Robert Cawdrey's "A Table Alphabeticall" from 1604 (2,500 words).
  • Dr. Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language (1755) was much more comprehensive and influential (about 40,000 words).
  • (Quote:)
    • Word Bird (08:50): "Dr. Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755 ... it included a huge number of words, around 40,000, plus their definitions, usage examples, and etymologies."
  • American English got its own dictionary with Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828.
  • Modern dictionaries continue to add new words every year.

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3. The Birthplace of the English Language (14:11–16:23)

• Where Did English Begin?
  • English originated in England, not the U.S. or Australia.
  • Originally, people in England spoke Celtic languages.
  • Around the 5th century CE, Angles (from modern Germany) settled in England and brought Anglo-Saxon (Old English).
  • (Quote:)
    • Word Bird (16:07): "Anyway, these Angles spoke a language called Anglo-Saxon, which we now call Old English."
  • The word “English” comes from the Angles.

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4. The Evolution of English: Old, Middle, and Modern

(17:22–18:38)

• English underwent three major phases:

  1. Old English (450–1150 CE)
     • Difficult for modern speakers to understand
     • Example: "Minama is word bird." = "My name is word bird."
  2. Middle English (1150–1500 CE)
  3. Modern English (1500 CE–present)
  • (Quote:)
    • Word Bird (17:34): "The three periods in the history of the English language are Old English ... Middle English ... and Modern English, which started in 1500 and is still going on today."

• Other Language Influences

  • English borrows from French, Norse, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and more, leading to quirks like silent letters.
  • Example: Many silent letters came from French words where “h” wasn’t pronounced.
  • (Quote:)
    • Word Bird (18:47): "Many of the silent letters in English come from French words where the h was not pronounced. Other languages that contributed to modern English include Norse, Dutch, Italian, and Spanish."

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5. Strangeness and Change: Spelling, Pronunciation, and Innovation

(18:38–20:24)

• Silent Letters

  • English contains many silent letters due to its borrowing from other languages and evolving spelling.
  • (Memorable Moment:)
    • Trusty Narrator (18:38): "Why does the English language have so many silent letters? I mean, what's the point of writing a letter if it doesn't make a sound in the word?"

• The Great Vowel Shift

  • Pronunciations changed massively during the 15th century’s "Great Vowel Shift."
  • Example: "Goat" was once pronounced "goot."
  • (Quote:)
    • Word Bird (19:53): "During the Great Vowel Shift, people shifted vowel sounds to a different part of their mouths. For example, the word goat used to be pronounced goot."

• Constant Evolution

  • English is always changing—new words are added, and language shifts with technology (like the Internet and texting).
  • (Quote:)
    • Trusty Narrator (20:24): "If you said the Internet or texting, those are definitely right. Since these things change the way we communicate, it makes sense that they would change the English language too."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Alphabet Origins
  • Word Bird (08:07): "It comes from the first two letters of the Phoenician Alphabet, which were called aleph and Beth."
• On Old English
  • Word Bird (16:50): “Minama is word bird.”
  • Trusty Narrator (16:58): “I’m guessing minama is word bird means my name is word bird, right?”
• On Spelling Confusion
  • Trusty Narrator (18:38): "Why does the English language have so many silent letters? I mean, what's the point of writing a letter if it doesn't make a sound in the word?"
• On Evolution
  • Word Bird (20:42): "Yep, just like the dictionary, which adds new words every year. Meaning that my feathers will keep growing."

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:40 | Introduction of the Word Bird and premise for the episode | | 04:27 | The beginnings: cuneiform and hieroglyphs | | 07:14 | Genesis of the alphabet and its evolution | | 08:31 | Dictionaries: from Cawdrey to Johnson to Webster | | 14:11 | English’s birthplace: England and the Angles | | 17:22 | Old, Middle, & Modern English explained | | 18:38 | Language confusion: silent letters and foreign influences | | 19:39 | The Great Vowel Shift and pronunciation evolution | | 20:24 | The English language’s constant adaptation (Internet/texting etc.) |

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Overall Tone and Style

The episode keeps a playful, light, and interactive tone. The hosts use humor (“Minama is word bird”), imagination (a talking bird with a dictionary for wings!), and call-and-response trivia to spark curiosity and encourage listeners to think and laugh while learning. The script is clearly aimed at children but contains facts and quirks that will amuse adults and educators alike.

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For Listeners Who Haven't Tuned In:

You’ll discover how writing began thousands of years ago and why the English alphabet isn’t the world’s first; why spelling and pronunciation in English can seem so confusing; and how the language keeps changing right up to the present day. The episode’s characters bring to life the fascinating, messy, and fun journey of English across ages and continents. Whether you’re a kid, a parent, or just a language lover, this episode offers a lively, memorable exploration of why English is the way it is today.

Transcript

[Trusty Narrator]

Hey, parents Trusty here. You know what I hear constantly from homeschool parents in the whosmarted community? Thank you for introducing us to ixl. I get it. My cousin homeschools her kids and raves about how much IXL helps. We're heading into that stretch where families are finishing the year strong, and then summer hits with travel camps and shifting routines, and that's where IXL shines. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling, with interactive practice across math, language arts, science and social studies from Pre K through 12th grade. Everything's organized by grade and subject, so you quickly find what each kid needs. Kids get instant explanations. And parents, you get clear Progress reports. Over 15 million students use IXL and it's proven to improve achievement in all 50 states. So make an impact on your child's learning. Who Smarted? Listeners get an exclusive 20% off when they sign up today at www.ixl.com smartid. That's ixl.com/smarted. And now it's time for who Smarted? Psst. Hey, smarty pants. As you can probably hear, I'm enjoying a walk outside. You know, just a casual stroll around the neighborhood. There's houses, trees, cars, kids playing. I see a dog in a yard and a squirrel running up a tree. Ooh. There also seems to be a bird flying directly over me. I must say, I've never seen a bird that looks like that before. For one thing, its wings look like the pages of a book. And now it's coming closer.

[Word Bird]

Why, hello, trusty narrator. Hello there, smartypants. I am the word bird. And my wings don't resemble just any book. Why, they look like the dictionary.

[Trusty Narrator]

Oh. I've never met or spoken to a bird with a dictionary for wings. It's very nice to meet you, word bird. And also, what's a word bird?

[Word Bird]

A word bird is a special kind of bird that only exists in the world of who smarted and knows all about the history of the English language.

[Trusty Narrator]

Really?

[Word Bird]

Just go with it. Sure.

[Trusty Narrator]

Wow. A word bird. You don't say.

[Word Bird]

I did say.

[Trusty Narrator]

Yes. You also said you know all about the English language, which is obviously the language I speak. What about you, smarty pants? Do you speak the English language? Even if it's not your first or native language, chances are you speak some English.

[Word Bird]

It would make sense. After all, English is known as the international language and is the most popular and widely used language in the world. But how much do you actually know about it?

[Trusty Narrator]

Um, well, come to Think of it while I speak English. No problem. I have to admit, it's not something I know a lot about.

[Word Bird]

I didn't think so. So would you like me to help you and the smarty pants learn more about it?

[Trusty Narrator]

Of course I would. That's what we do here on who smarted. We learn and laugh and. But mostly learn.

[Word Bird]

Well, then I am here to help. After all, that's what word birds are for.

[Trusty Narrator]

Great. Then you can help us discover things like when did people start speaking English? Where did the Alphabet come from? And how has the English language changed over the years? Oh, and who wrote the first dictionary?

[Word Bird]

No problem. I've got answers to those questions and more.

[Trusty Narrator]

Then you know what that means, smarty pants. It's time for another whiff of science and history on who smarted, who's smarted,

[Theme Song Singer]

who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. On who smarted.

[Trusty Narrator]

Okay, I am now sitting on a bench in the park with my new friend word Bird beside me. Together we're all going to learn about the English language. Not how I thought my day was going to go, but things have definitely taken a turn for the smarter. So where should we start?

[Word Bird]

I think we should start at the very beginning.

[Trusty Narrator]

Well, since you can't have a language without an Alphabet and you want to start at the beginning, I'm assuming you mean the letter A, A, B, C,

[Word Bird]

D, E, F, G. Oh, actually I was thinking way before that.

[Trusty Narrator]

What letter comes before A?

[Word Bird]

Not letters. I'm talking about time. About 4,000 BCE oh, smarty pants.

[Trusty Narrator]

In case you didn't know, BCE stands for before the common era, which means this happened in ancient times, which was a really long time ago. So what happened in 4000 BCE that was so important?

[Word Bird]

In 4000 BCE cuneiform was used in Iraq.

[Trusty Narrator]

Gotcha. Of course, my next question is, what's cuneiform? Smarty pants? Care to take a guess? Is it A, an ancient writing system, B, ancient sign language, or C, a type of money? If you said A in ancient writing system, nice job.

[Word Bird]

Cuneiform consisted of wedge shaped marks pressed into clay tablets. It was the very earliest writing in the world.

[Trusty Narrator]

So was that the first Alphabet?

[Word Bird]

Not exactly.

[Trusty Narrator]

Why not?

[Word Bird]

Only some of the signs stood for sounds. Others stood for ideas or entire words. And sometimes they were combined.

[Trusty Narrator]

Oh, sounds confusing.

[Word Bird]

Oh, it was. There were about 1500 different combinations in cuneiform.

[Trusty Narrator]

Whoa, that's a lot to have to remember. I'd rather stick with my ABCs A,

[Yoshi/Nintendo Switch Announcer]

B, C, D, E, F, G.

[Word Bird]

Then in 3000 BCE hieroglyphs were used in Egypt.

[Trusty Narrator]

Smarty pants, I bet some of you know about this. Are hieroglyphs A, letters, B pictures, or C, pencils? If you said B pictures, you're right. Hieroglyphs were pictures or drawings that ancient people carved into stone or brick or drew on walls to express thoughts and ideas about their society.

[Word Bird]

But this still isn't the same as an Alphabet, because the signs didn't only stand for sounds like cuneiform sound. Some hieroglyphs represented sounds, while others represented ideas or whole words.

[Trusty Narrator]

So you're saying that a hieroglyph of a bird might not always just mean bird?

[Word Bird]

Exactly.

[Trusty Narrator]

Interesting. So when did the ABCs that we all know and love start to be a thing?

[Word Bird]

In 1500 BCE the Phoenician Alphabet was developed.

[Trusty Narrator]

Smarty pants, true or false? The Phoenician Alphabet is the exact same Alphabet we use to write in English today.

[Word Bird]

The answer to that question is false. While the Phoenician Alphabet definitely contributed to today's modern Alphabet, it went through many changes over the years before reaching its current form.

[Trusty Narrator]

So where did our Alphabet mostly come from, smartypants? Do you know?

[Word Bird]

We use an Alphabet similar to the Roman Alphabet to write English, as well as French, Italian, Spanish. Oh, and so many other languages. Our Alphabet has 26 different letters, but some alphabets have way more.

[Trusty Narrator]

Where does the word Alphabet even come from?

[Word Bird]

It comes from the first two letters of the Phoenician Alphabet, which were called aleph and Beth.

[Trusty Narrator]

Ah. So the name Alphabet isn't really A through z or even ABCs. It's basically just a B. But we need way more letters than that to spell words and make Alphabet soup. When did English words start to form and have a correct spelling?

[Word Bird]

With the invention of da da da da. The dictionary.

[Trusty Narrator]

Ah, yes, the dictionary. Before the Internet came along in the 1980s and 90s, if you didn't know what a word meant or how to spell it, you had to look it up in a book called the dictionary.

[Theme Song Singer]

Whoa.

[Trusty Narrator]

But who wrote the dictionary?

[Word Bird]

Dr. Samuel Johnson's a Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755. While not the very first English dictionary, it set a new standard for dictionaries. For one thing, it included a huge number of words, around 40,000, plus their definitions, usage examples, and etymologies.

[Trusty Narrator]

Ooh, cool. Word alert. Etymologies means where does a word come from? But hang on a second. You said the 1755 dictionary wasn't the first. What came before that.

[Word Bird]

Robert Cawdrey's a table alphabetical from 1604 is the first known English dictionary. But it was much smaller, only around 2,500 words, and less comprehensive than Samuel Johnson's. Which is why Dr. Johnson's 1755 dictionary is the one most often cited as the first truly influential English dictionary. But it didn't stop there.

[Trusty Narrator]

Why not?

[Word Bird]

Because American English is different than the original English.

[Trusty Narrator]

Wait, there's two types of English?

[Word Bird]

Oh, that's right. Which is why Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1828.

[Trusty Narrator]

1828 may seem like a long time ago, but compared to other civilizations, cultures, and countries, it's really not.

[Word Bird]

Oh no, English is not very old compared to other languages.

[Trusty Narrator]

Okay, now I'm super curious about where the word English even comes from. And where did it start? We'll find out the answers to those questions and more right after this quick break. And a word from our sponsors. Hey smarty families. I've had the Skylight Calendar in our kitchen for about a week, and I'll just tell you what changed. It became the one source of truth before this, keeping track of who, what, when, and where with sticky notes, group text, and hopefully me remembering to get the groceries. Now everyone checks the same screen. The meal planning feature alone has saved us from the nightly what's for dinner spiral, and I can pull recipes right into it. Skylight is the calendar I didn't know I needed. Skylight is designed to bring families together for more time. It syncs seamlessly with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook. With customizable daily, weekly, and monthly views. The tasks feature helps kids build healthy routines and independence. Brushing teeth, homework, and chores become fun and rewarding. Assign each family member their own color and the excuses disappear. If you're not 100% thrilled in four months, you can get a full refund. Now, you know I love an adventure, but Skylight has helped me make organizing the family less of a safari. Families are better when they're working together. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendars by going to myskylight.com smarted go to myskylight.com smartED for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. That is my S K-Y-L-I G H T.com smarted. You know what I love? TaskRabbit when we moved our whosmarted office, how did we find our mover TaskRabbit? When I've got errands piling up and zero time to run them. TaskRabbit IKEA furniture assembly that's about to drive me mental. I call me a tasker. I've been blown away by how helpful and awesome they are every single time. TaskRabbit connects you with skilled tasker area for moving furniture assembly, home repairs, mounting a tv, yard work, you name it. You can search based on cost, skill set, availability and past client reviews and these taskers have put in the reps. Over 3.4 million pieces of furniture assembled. 700,000 home repairs. One and a half million moves and counting. I love TaskRabbit smarty pants. And you will too. When when life happens, your to do list grows. Get ahead of it now and get $15 off your first [e-mail] or on the TaskRabbit app using promo code Smarted. Taskers book up fast, especially for same day tasks. So book trusted home help today. That's $15 off your first task using promo code smarted with the TaskRabbit app or at TaskRabbit.

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[Word Bird]

what it tastes like? Hmm, soapy.

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[Trusty Narrator]

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[Word Bird]

At first, people in England mostly spoke Celtic languages, which are not the same as English. But around the 5th century, aka 401 to 500 CE, the people from Germany came to England. Some of these people were called angles, which is where the word English comes from.

[Trusty Narrator]

Wait, I thought Engels were just part of math.

[Word Bird]

Well, as you know, words can have more than one meaning. Anyway, these angles spoke a language called Anglo Saxon, which we now call Old English.

[Trusty Narrator]

Old English, smarty pants. True or false? Old English is not the same as the English we speak now.

[Word Bird]

The answer is true. In many instances, Old English is very different than modern American English. Here's an example. See if you can guess what I'm saying in Old English. Ready? Minama is word bird.

[Trusty Narrator]

What do you think, smarty pants? I'm guessing minama is word bird. Means my name is word bird, right?

[Word Bird]

Oh, wait, do you speak Old English too?

[Trusty Narrator]

No, I figured it out by the context. What about you, smarty pants? Did you get it too?

[Word Bird]

Here, try another. He. Him. Geffhund.

[Trusty Narrator]

Umm, no idea.

[Word Bird]

It means he gave him a dog. Oh, that was very nice of him, wasn't it?

[Trusty Narrator]

Yes. Anyway, back to English, smarty pants. How many changes did the English language go through before becoming the language we know today? Was it 1, 2, or 3?

[Word Bird]

If you said 3, well done. The three periods in the history of the English language are Old English, which lasted from 450 to 1150, Middle English, which lasted from 1150 to 1500, and Modern English, which started in 1500 and is still going on today.

[Theme Song Singer]

Whoa.

[Trusty Narrator]

I'm curious. What were the differences in the English languages used in these different periods?

[Word Bird]

Different words, different grammar, and even different letters? Did you know the sound th used to be represented by a letter called thorn?

[Trusty Narrator]

Thorn? Like the sharp part of a rose?

[Word Bird]

Yep. And it looked similar to the letter Y.

[Trusty Narrator]

That sounds confusing.

[Word Bird]

Oh, it was. And look, even today, the English language is not perfect. It has a lot of strange rules for spelling, including more silent letters than most languages.

[Trusty Narrator]

Shh. Why does the English language have so many silent letters? I mean, what's the point of writing a letter if it doesn't make a sound in the word?

[Word Bird]

Oh, great question. You see, as the English language developed, it borrowed from other languages. Including French. Many of the silent letters in English come from French words where the h was not pronounced. Other languages that contributed to modern English include Norse, Dutch, Italian, and Spanish.

[Trusty Narrator]

Makes sense. Even though it's annoying having to remember to write a silent letter.

[Word Bird]

Oh, if you think that's bad, imagine having to change the way you pronounce words.

[Trusty Narrator]

Is that something that happened?

[Word Bird]

Oh, it is during the 15th century.

[Trusty Narrator]

Smartypants, what caused people to have to change the way they pronounced words? Was it a baby, the Great Vowel shift, B, the big consonant change, or C, the sound switch?

[Word Bird]

If you said A, the Great vowel shift, you got it.

[Trusty Narrator]

We all know the vowels are the letters A, e, I, o, u, and sometimes y. But what's the Great Vowel shift?

[Word Bird]

During the Great Vowel Shift, people shifted vowel sounds to a different part of their mouths. For example, the word goat used to be pronounced goot.

[Trusty Narrator]

I see. Or rather here.

[Word Bird]

Before the Great Vowel Shift, people couldn't imagine pronouncing words the way we do today. But the English language is constantly evolving and changing with new words and expressions being added all the time.

[Trusty Narrator]

Smartypants, what do you think is something that has added recent changes to the English language? Go ahead, shout it out. I'm hearing some great answers. If you said the Internet or texting, those are definitely right. Since these things change the way we communicate, it makes sense that they would change the English language too.

[Word Bird]

Yep, just like the dictionary, which adds new words every year. Meaning that my feathers will keep growing.

[Trusty Narrator]

A double shout out to super smarty fans Davin and Meelo in Somerville, Massachusetts. Thanks for letting me know how much you love smarting. To who smarted during all your car rides. And if that wasn't enough, you said you've listened to every single episode and some even twice. Now that is what I call next level smarting. Thanks, U2. This episode, the English language was written by Sarah Sweetick and voiced by Cat Searle and Jerry Colber. Technical direction, sound design by Josh Hahn. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Audio production.

[Theme Song Singer]

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[Trusty Narrator]

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