How far back in history could you go until you could no longer understand the English language?Stanislava Suplatovich has the answer in Quora. To answer this question, she uses three examples. Here’s the first one:
“See ye not yon twa bonny boys,
As they play at the ba?
The eldest of them is Marischal’s son,
And I love him best of a’;
The youngest of them is Henrie’s son,
And I love him none at a’ “.
It’s an excerpt from “Queen Eleanor’s Confession,” a ballad known as early as the 1500s, but which is believed to be even older. It is written in Early Modern English. Do you understand it? Apart from more or less free word order and some unusual spelling, it’s quite understandable.
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
These are the very first lines of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. A bit more challenging, isn’t it? It’s written in Middle English in the 14th century. It looks and sounds more French than English. But it’s still understandable – though not in every detail.
Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning.
ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned,
geong in geardum, þone god sende […]
This is the beginning of Beowulf. Old English. Do you understand, or, to be more exact, can you even read it?
I think that the answer is quite clear. We can go as far as the 14th century and the language is still understandable. The further back in history we would go, the less intelligible and understandable the language becomes in terms of spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
Incidentally, what I found particularly amusing about this answer is that Stanislava is Russian, born and bred, and lives in Vladivostok. Yet, I suspect she can understand English better than many native speakers!
Chris The Story Reading Ape said:
Time travellers would certainly be caught out very quickly, even if they learned old english beforehand I suspect 😃
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I know, right??
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joylennick said:
It’s enough of a challenge to make something comprehensible of our modern language, Nicholas – although it can be fun…In fact it is a lot of fun! Making something really special from it, is another matter. I doff my hat to anyone who can, like your good self! Outstanding prose is always a joy to read. Are you familiar with Diana Peach’s writing? Cheers. x
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Indeed I am – I’m a big fan of Diana’s beautiful writing! With the missus, we even jokingly refer at some particular moments in time as Sunwielder moments 🙂
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beetleypete said:
The language in Beowulf has a feel of Welsh about it. I suppose that would make sense, as the Celtic people had not yet had the full influence of Saxon and Norman invasion. But the Romans had been here, so I wonder where Latin disappeared to? 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I should write about the subject of Latin and English one of these days 🙂
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V.M.Sang said:
Pete, I did a tiny bit of research for Jealousy of a Viking (waiting for publication). It’s set in the area around York shortly after the Great Heathen Army invaded in 865. My protagonist was brought up in what became the Danelaw and spoke Danish. She was forced to flee to the Anglo Saxon lands and I needed to know if she would be able to understand them. It seems that Anglo-Saxon , the precursor of English, was fairly similar to the language of the Vikings. (Useful for me in writing about it.) the odd-looking letters appear in the Scandinavian languages.
The fact that they could understand each other was not so surprising as the Anglo-Saxons hailed from Germany originally.
So I would say it looks more Scandinavian than Celtic.
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beetleypete said:
I agree that it looks rather Scandinavian, but it you say it out loud, (pronouncing as it looks) it feels Welsh. Or pehaps that is just because of my London accent? 🙂
Lots of Viking place names locally here in Norfolk. Horningtoft, Toftwood, Tofttrees, etc.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you for sharing this, fascinating info, Viv!
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robertawrites235681907 said:
I know that I struggle with middle English, Nicholas, and have to read it with a modern translation.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I even struggle with Shakespeare sometimes 🙂
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robertawrites235681907 said:
Haha, I was going to say that, but I didn’t want to show myself up.
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Gabi Coatsworth said:
No wonder English orthography seems so random. It still retains traces of these spellings…
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Absolutely!!!
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V.M.Sang said:
Yes, and there are the words imported by the French after the Norman Conquest, and all the other words from immigrants and conquest over the centuries.
Many dialect words are among these. Some from Dutch, who cane to help with the draining of the fens in East Anglia.
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Caron Allan said:
I always love to read about the development of language, thanks for this. I like Peter Ackroyd’s Canterbury tales – a modern retelling.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I find languages fascinating for that very reason – they are living things!
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oldbirdtravels said:
I love this! I forget sometimes about this constant change in language! Usually battling with other continents let alone our fair land!
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
That’s what I love about languages, that they are living things!
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Chris The Story Reading Ape said:
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Another great article from, Nicholas 😃
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raynayday said:
I knew that one day, though it may be a long time coming, my background in the classic’s and Anglo Saxon Germanic languages would one day bear fruit. Today, my friends, I take a bow and say “All here is easy to read and fully understandable” which particular word or phrase was bothering you? and that I feel sorry for you troglodytes that cannot know how good it is to feel superior.
Now don’t shout me down, I am nearly sixty and this is the first time my many years of education has come in handy. I shall now disappear into obscurity once more having had my post of (took less than 15 minutes) fame I fully expect to relive this moment once more in my life if I reach one hundred and twenty. Otherwise this is my day. Hurrah.
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V.M.Sang said:
Congratulations on your 5minutes of fame. Mind you, I had to read Chaucer when studying English Lit for my teaching degree, but we did have a translation as well as the original. I couldn’t have done it otherwise.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Lol – fair enough. I bow to your superior knowledge (and am a little envious, too!)
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raynayday said:
Do not be envious, Anglo Saxon or late Germanic it is pretty much useless, even though it can be handy when some pretty (student) girl is trying to understand Beowulf. Let me tell you of an embarrassing day. walking, strolling in the park, hardly a care in the world, passing close to a couple of pretty girls lounging on the grass of Princess gardens, on one of the (very few) warm and dry days that Edinburgh, a Gothic city, the Athens of the North, enjoys each year. Laughing and giggling over the pronunciation of “Hrothgar” I noted. Also one was reading “Iron in the soul” which I had just finished reading a few weeks before. Those beautiful girls were ripe for the picking, my boyish student mind thought.
Except I was awkward, boyish and though smart, I was nothing that a girl would go for.
I have no idea to this day how I plucked up the courage to talk to them, insinuating myself into thier happy conversation. My guttural throat deep regurgitation of the original Danish Hrothgar left me sitting alone on the grass as two girls hurried out and away from the wierdo……
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Ha ha – I can just picture it (having spent 6 years in Edinburgh)… Mind you, I’d probably have run away myself from the strange lad seemingly struggling to produce a phlegm in front of me 😀
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V.M.Sang said:
I am currently reading a book called History in English Words. It was first printed in the 50s, but is none the less quite fascinating. It would be a valuable resource for historical fiction writers as it tells when first certain words appeared, so we are able to not commit the error of having someone use a word that did not exist at that time.
I forget the author, but it is available on Amazon.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
If you’d like to write a guest review, I’d love to host it!
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OIKOS™-Editorial said:
Sounds a little bit like the slang of the younger ones today. 😉 But one is able to understand. Definitely better than the old German minstrel. Thank you for sharing this very interesting information, Nicholas. Have a good week! Michael
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Yes, unlike the younger ones’ slang, I can almost understand Chaucer 😀
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wilfredbooks said:
The added complication of the language of Beowulf is the use of the earlier characters which we’re not used to seeing used in an English context; it’s still tricky to read, though! I see that even in Chaucer’s time, they didn’t know the difference between a comparative and a superlative [the youngest of two, instead of the correct form, the younger {or older} of two]. It’s not easy being a grammar pedant 😉 Cheers, Jon.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Lol – trust you to correct Chaucer 😀
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wilfredbooks said:
It’s my mission in life 😉
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
To be honest, I envy your grammatic prowess!
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V.M.Sang said:
I agree. It’s not easy!
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Michelle Morrison said:
This is interesting. Old English is definitely different than modern English. I like Shakespeare and Chaucer, but they are a bit of a challenge.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Tell me about it!
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V.M.Sang said:
I’d love to, Nicholas.
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V.M.Sang said:
Somehow this has got out of place. It should be a reply to your comment on my writing a review of History in English Words.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you, Viv! I’ll be looking forward to it 🙂
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joylennick said:
I sometimes feel a little sad that I lost out on a lot of education for five years because of the war: (evacuation to three difference schools), and the fact I hardly saw my father (who was a wordy man..) as he was in the Royal Air Force in WW2, But at least he came home…and I sat my English Lit. exam at the age of 66…(now old as Methusaleh!) At least I can now write a sensible blog/poem/short story/ modest book..but still wish I had a better brain. (https://joylennick,wordpress.com/.) Best wishes.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Life is more important than education and you’re lucky enough to have experienced both 🙂
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