Directed by The Great Courses

John McWhorter

Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University explores the linguistic trails left by generations of humans that lead back to the beginnings of language. Utilizing historical theories and cutting-edge research, these 34 episodes will introduce you to major language families and their offspring, including languages that are no longer spoken but provide vital links to the past

Rated TVPG

Mode of access: World Wide Web

Episode 1

Why Are There So Many Languages?

Episode 2

The First Family Discovered: Indo-European

Episode 3

Indo-European Languages in Europe

Episode 4

Indo-European Languages in Asia

Episode 5

The Click Languages

Episode 6

Niger-Congo: The Biggest Family in Africa I

Episode 7

Niger-Congo: The Biggest Family in Africa II

Episode 8

Languages of the Fertile Crescent and Beyond I

Episode 9

Languages of the Fertile Crescent and Beyond II

Episode 10

Nilo-Saharan: Africa's Hardest Languages?

Episode 11

Is the Indo-European Family Alone in Europe?

Episode 12

How to Identify a Language Family

Episode 13

What Is a Caucasian Language?

Episode 14

Indian Languages That Aren't Indo-European

Episode 15

Languages of the Silk Road and Beyond

Episode 16

Japanese and Korean: Alike yet Unrelated

Episode 17

The Languages We Call Chinese

Episode 18

Chinese's Family Circle: Sino-Tibetan

Episode 19

Southeast Asian Languages: The Sinosphere

Episode 20

Languages of the South Seas I

Episode 21

Languages of the South Seas II

Episode 22

Siberia and Beyond: Language Isolates

Episode 23

Creole Languages

Episode 24

Why Are There So Many Languages in New Guinea?

Episode 25

The Languages of Australia I

Episode 26

The Languages of Australia II

Episode 27

The Original American Languages I

Episode 28

The Original American Languages II

Episode 29

The Original American Languages III

Episode 30

The Original American Languages IV

Episode 31

Languages Caught between Families

Episode 32

How Far Back Can We Trace Languages?

Episode 33

What Do Genes Say about Language Families?

Episode 34

Language Families and Writing Systems