Chapter 1 of A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2 is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2 is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PERIODS OF ENGLISH. 1. +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken. Such a language we know only in books. Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.
Chapter 1 of A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2 is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
at or in or to any place
From this reading “Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.”
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading “+Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.”
plural of “language” — a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading “+Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.”
of or relating to the ancient Latins or the Latin language
From this reading “Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.”
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.”
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading “THE PERIODS OF ENGLISH.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “+Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
at or in or to any place
From this reading Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
for the reason that
From this reading Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading Such a language we know only in books.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading THE PERIODS OF ENGLISH.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Such a language we know only in books.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Such a language we know only in books.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
plural of “language” — a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
of or relating to the ancient Latins or the Latin language
From this reading Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
for more time
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.
not any; not one
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PERIODS OF ENGLISH.
and nothing more
From this reading Such a language we know only in books.
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading THE PERIODS OF ENGLISH.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such a language we know only in books.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PERIODS OF ENGLISH.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus, Latin is a dead language, because no nation anywhere now speaks it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Such a language we know only in books.
at the time that
From this reading +Dead and Living Languages.+-- A language is said to be dead when it is no longer spoken.
Chapter 1 of A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2 by J. M. D. (John Miller Dow) Meiklejohn holds 64 sentences, grouped into 13 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 64 sentences of A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2 by J. M. D. (John Miller Dow) Meiklejohn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 64 sentences, grouped into 13 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #21665, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2 to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Brief History of the English Language — Vol. 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
