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The Routes of English: 1,000 Years of Spoken English: 2: Language at Play

BBC Radio 4
on BBC Radio 4 FM

In six programmes Melvyn Bragg continues his exploration of the history of the spoken language of Britain.

Puns, malapropisms, double entendre - just a few ways in which comedians unleash the comic potential of language. Bragg investigates the way the development of English has encouraged wordplay, from the verbal jousting of the Elizabethan court to the punning that informs so much modern advertising.

(Repeated Tuesday 1.30pm)

Contributors

Presenter:
Melvyn Bragg
Producer:
Tom Alban
Source: Radio Times

BBC Radio 4 FM

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