Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Plain English

How did English become the most popular language in the world?

World Service,6 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Mathematical Plainness
How did the language of Shakespeare become the language we know today?
25 Aug 2000,13 mins
The Role of Dictionaries
How did the purpose of dictionaries change in the 20th Century?
26 Sep 2000,13 mins
The Internet
Is the internet turning the world's language direction away from English?
27 Sep 2000,13 mins
Money Talks
How important is English to the global economy?
01 Oct 2000,13 mins
Globally Speaking
Can a national language serve the needs of global citizens today?
02 Oct 2000,13 mins
Mother Tongues
Do people have the right to protect their national language from English?
20 Oct 2000,13 mins