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Shakespeare v Rappers
Who has the biggest vocabulary - the Bard or today’s rap stars? Tim Harford takes a look at the numbers with James Fletcher.
It is a 'fact' beloved of English teachers around the world that Shakespeare, the greatest playwright writing in English, also had the greatest vocabulary. But research published earlier this year suggests English teachers might have to look elsewhere to establish the superiority of the Bard - apparently his vocabulary lags behind the best and most famous rappers of the last decades. Is this comparison fair, and if so, does it diminish Shakespeare's lustre?
(Photo: Run DMC. Credit: Getty Images)
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Mon 15 Sep 2014
08:50GMT
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Online
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Shakespeare—Shakespeare on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death
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