Welcome to The Dead Language Society!
I’m Colin Gorrie, and every week I take you on a guided tour through the history of the English language and its relatives. Together we’ll trace the origin story of English, with plenty of detours into the history, culture, and mythology of those who came before us.
What to expect
You will receive a new free issue of the Dead Language Society newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
Each issue explores a topic where language and history collide, like the influence of the Black Death on English vowels, the Viking words hidden in your breakfast, and the monstrous family trees that stretch all the way from Beowulf to the Lord of the Rings.
If you want to support my work and get even more in-depth content – please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.
Here’s what you’ll get:
Twice-monthly members-only issues – sent on Saturdays – that dive much deeper than the weekly free post. Think: detailed investigations of linguistic mysteries, extensive discussion of passages from literature, and etymological explorations that go far beyond what you’d find on Wiktionary.
Reading lists of the secondary literature so that you can research the topics yourself
About me
I'm a PhD linguist and ancient language teacher. My specialties are Old English, historical linguistics, and ancient language paedagogy. I'm also the author of Ōsweald Bera, the first graded reader for Old English.
