How far back in time could you still understand English?

[Meat Grinder]

Fascinating.

 

[Mehlsack]

For me its getting hard to understand English when @Bootie starts speaking. ..;-)
Is it English what he mumbles???

 

[Nort]

It's Irittish.

 

[Bootie]

Cheeky. LOL

Interesting post though.

 

[Mehlsack]

Cheeky. LOL

Interesting post though.

Oh, sorry officer. Wont happen again, Sire!

Don't worry, you have plenty of company...:

 

[Hedgehog]

Interesting Subject.....I was born in London......Stella says I don't know or understand English......I have my own style

 

[Meat Grinder]

There is actually a vowel shift occurring right now in the northeastern cities of the U.S.

 

[Nathangun]

There is actually a vowel shift occurring right now in the northeastern cities of the U.S.

The same thing happened in Ireland during the boom years of the last decade, especially among the wealthy.

 

[Lt. Smash]

There is actually a vowel shift occurring right now in the northeastern cities of the U.S.

This is an interesting video. Beyond the fact that it conflicts with the video that start this thread (the first video says that the vowel shift occurred between 1300-1700 and the "northern vowel shift" says it has been stable for 1,000 years), it really underscores how important the entire sentence is to understanding. Whether it is black or block, or its busses or bosses, the words by themselves don't tell the whole story.

 

[Meat Grinder]

As I understood it, the "great vowel shift" referenced in the original video I posted affected the long vowels and occurred between 1300-1700. The "northern vowel shift" referenced in the other video I posted was referring to the short vowels and seems to be isolated to a northeastern section of the U.S.A, and is a modern (past 100 years) phenomenon.

 

[Ithikial]

From someone who had to read 16th and 17th Century political theory back in my Uni days... I say around then.

 

[jby]

block/black doesn´t seem strange to me, it´s like britsh what (wot) and bored american teenager (wuuuut)

but busses and bosses? maybe this is just wisconsin? I saw the documentary "making a murderer" on netflix the other day and all the wisconsin locals had this germanic sounding o