English today is a world language but it all started in the British Isles. To understand the history of English developed it helps if you have access to maps which describe the region and how people (and languages have moved). A series of good maps for illustrations can be found at History of English podcast. Here you can also find a number of podcasts on English language history. There are 85 ! episodes, but among the most relevant are
Way back in time
Celts, Angles and Saxons
- Episode 28: Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians
- Episode 29: The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
- Episode 30: The Celtic Legacy
- Episode 32: The Oldest English
Vikings
- Episode 49: Vikings Among the English and French
- Episode 50: A Unified Family of English Speakers
- Episode 51: Norse Words and a New English
Normans
- Episode 64: Feudalism and Early Normans
- Episode 65: Norman Dukes and Dialects
- Episode 66: Broken Promises and the Eve of Conquest
- Episode 67: The Year That Changed English
You can listen to the sounds of English through history using the BBC Ages of English Timeline
Internet & Everything 