Splash Biography

If you were a member of an alien species that had come to Earth and had only been given a bunch of languages, how much do you think you'll be able to figure out about the history of their speakers? Probably a little more than you believe. In this class, we will look at the development of some sounds in the English language (specifically the Grimm's law) and see what they can tell us about the history of English speakers. We'll also try to figure out why these sounds developed the way they did. However you are strictly advised not to try to do this outside class because that will involve repeating funny sounds which may or may not get you weird stares from strangers.