Are half the words in English from French?
We ask whether almost half the words in the English language are of French origin.
Are almost half the words in the English language of French origin? It鈥檚 a claim one of our loyal listeners found surprising. Tim Harford talks to Dr Beth Malory, lecturer in English Linguistics at University College London, who explains why so many words derived from French have ended up in English.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Daniel Gordon
Series Producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot
(Picture: A French dictionary showing the entry 'Dictionnaire'
Credit: NSA Digital Archive / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU
Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.
When can you trust statistics?
蘑菇短视频 Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.
Podcast
-
![]()
More or Less
Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life.
