Spoken English Example Recordings and Videos: Lectures for Language Study

(From Spoken English Example Videos for Language Study)

A gradually increasing collection of English language lectures which use the language on the very highest level.

Lectures

The simplest schoolboy is now familiar with truths for which Archimedes would have sacrificed his life. - Ernest Renan

Please listen to these examples multiple times to gain a feeling for the superb way these language experts express themselves.

Entry Designations

Title of the work and name of the speaker
Difficulty level -- from 1 (easiest) to 10 (most difficult)
Dialect -- the accent and speech mode of the speaker and any regional flavor. Most examples are: Standard American, RP English (Received Pronunciation is that of educated speakers from the British Isles with no recognizable regional distinction) Oxbridge English (very similar to RP, but stemming from the Oxford or Cambridge Universities), Standard Educated Australian, Standard Educated South African.
A desription of the content.

Be sure to look up any unfamiliar vocabulary terms.

Lectures
Title	BAFTA Lecture 2010 Stephen Fry talks about the future of television
Difficulty	5/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Stephen Fry is a graduate of Cambridge University and has written and performed extensively. He is a strong supporter of the free evolution of language, the incorporation of new words and usages into English, yet his own speech is such an excellent example of the fact that traditional and historical vocabulary and usages are so vast and expressive that new coinages seem unnecessary and superfluous in comparison.

Title	Faith and Reason. Terry Eagleton addresses an audience at the Yale University
Difficulty	7/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Terry Eagleton is Professor of English Literature at the University of Lancaster.

Title	Unacknowledged Legislation. Christopher Hitchens addresses an audience at Rutgers University March 29, 2001 on the influence of the written word on politics and history.
Difficulty	9/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	This is a lecture by one of the great men of letters to a highly educated audience.

Title	Words Words Words David Crystal
Difficulty	4/10
Dialect	British (RP) English
Description	Oxford University's David Crystal, renouned linguist and author on language discusses the creation of words. Is it acceptable to invent words casually?

Title	The Death of Criticism Terry Eagleton
Difficulty	8/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Professor Eagleton speaks at U.C Berkely on The Death of Criticism. Over an hour long, this lecture is a feast of perspicuity.

Title	George Orwell: Orwell's Victory Christopher Hitchens
Difficulty	6/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Biographer of Orwell, Christopher Hitchens, discusses the writer.

Title	The World Turned Upside Down Melanie Phillips
Difficulty	7/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Writer, Melanie Phillips, discusses her book.

Title	Freedom of Speech Christopher Hitchens
Difficulty	6/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Considered discussion of the right of free speech -- including in a crowded theater. Hitchens discourses brilliantly on the concepts and presupositions involved in freedom of speech.

Title	The Metaphysics of Terror Terry Eagleton
Difficulty	9/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Lecture to an educated audience -- lots of challenging vocabulry and concepts.

Title	Darwin's Universal Impact Dame Gillian Beer
Difficulty	8/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Criticism of the writings of Charles Darwin.

Title	Socratic Dialogue Karen Armstrong
Difficulty	5/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	An examination and discussion of the methods of Socrates.

Title	Mythologies of Marx Terry Eagleton
Difficulty	6/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	An examination and discussion of Marx.

Title	Stephen Fry Interview
Difficulty	6/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Discussion of many issues including philosophy, literature, history, and writing.

Title	The Communist Manifesto - Terry Eagleton - Marxism 2011
Difficulty	7/10
Dialect	British (Oxbridge) English
Description	Lecture promoting the speaker's book, Marx Was Right.