The Roots of English

I listen to podcasts during my commute to and from work.  Mostly I was listening to Econtalk with Russ Roberts, which I highly recommend.  However, while looking for something else to get some variety, I came across the History of English podcast.  I started listening and am truly impressed with the scope and depth of the series.  It covers the Indo-European foundations, the Latin, Greek, French, and other influences, and gives a considerable amount of history of Western Civilization.  Intermixed with all this are word derivations that baffle the mind.  For example, both the English word 'black' and the Spanish word for white ('blanca') come from the same Indo-European word.  How can a word for white in one language and black in another come from the same source?  The podcast explains it.  This is one part linguistics and one part history combined into wonderful lectures on the origins of our language.  Outstanding podcast and highly recommended.

http://www.historyofenglishpodcast.com/