TALK The Languages of Norwich: A Concise History

In the last two thousand years, many languages and language varieties have been spoken and written in Norwich and the surrounding area. In this lecture, Professor Christopher Joby takes us on a journey from the language of Boudica to the many languages spoken in Norwich today. For much of this period, English in its many forms has been the dominant language in the city. However, invaders and migrants have brought new languages to Norwich including Old Norse, Norman French, Hebrew, Dutch, and, more recently, languages as diverse as Polish and Cantonese. Professor Joby examines who spoke these languages, to whom, and with what consequences.

Christopher Joby PhD, hab., FRHistS was born and educated in Norwich. He has degrees from the universities of Oxford and Durham and has lectured at universities in the UK, Netherlands, Poland, and South Korea. He has published many academic articles on the history of Dutch and other languages including English, and six monographs on contact between the Dutch language and culture and other languages and cultures in historical contexts. In 2015, he published The Dutch Language in Britain (1550-1702) (Brill), and in 2022, John Cruso of Norwich (Boydell & Brewer). He is currently writing a monograph on the history of language in early modern Norwich.