How far back in time could you go and still understand English? (Video)

[Elderberry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fxy6ZaMOq8&app=desktop#fauxfullscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fxy6ZaMOq8&app=desktop#fauxfullscreen

[Sanguine]

Very interesting.

[catfish1957]

Very interesting.

Agree.

The past 25 years of genealogical research has given me a treasure trove of experience of how we as English speaking people have morphed in the past 250 years.  It has just been in the past 220 years, you often saw "s" and "f" interchanged in script.

General speak was much more flowery, lengthy, and explicit in description versus how we write today.  For those who are really interested, a subscription to newspapers.com or genalogybank.com are good sources if you want to read old newspapers from that era. 

[Absalom]

Perhaps 15 centuries.
The people spoke Celtic, from immigrant Celts of Gaul (now France).
Then in the 6th century, the Germanic Angles and Saxons immigrated.
This was the catalyst for the development of English.

[RoosGirl]

I bet going back 50 years would make it more understandable than the way some people speak it today.

[Sanguine]

I bet going back 50 years would make it more understandable than the way some people speak it today.

Ummmm, some of us remember what it sounded like 50 years ago, you whippersnapper you.

[RoosGirl]

Ummmm, some of us remember what it sounded like 50 years ago, you whippersnapper you.

 

[RoosGirl]

Ummmm, some of us remember what it sounded like 50 years ago, you whippersnapper you.

Keep sipping that Balvenie and you may not.

[Sanguine]

Keep sipping that Balvenie and you may not.