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How far back in time can you understand English? This site goes back by centuries allowing you to test yourself.
(www.deadlanguagesociety.com)
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this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2026
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Mildly Interesting
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This is for strictly mildly interesting material. If it's too interesting, it doesn't belong. If it's not interesting, it doesn't belong.
This is obviously an objective criteria, so the mods are always right. Or maybe mildly right? Ahh.. what do we know?
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gets to 1500s:
"I get the gist, I reckon I could do this"
gets to 1400s:
It's easy if you know the rules - the fs that are s's, the fact v and u were pretty much interchangeable and that prior to 1700 spelling was largely vibe driven
Yeah but i mean actually talking to someone lol. The reading I get but talking it in a convo? I reckon 1500s i just might barely be passable
I parse the first line of the 1400's "But the man would me not abandon there, nor suffer me to pass forth. I might not flee, for his companions, of whom there were a great number, beset me about and held me fast that I should not escape."
So...if you've read a pompous fantasy hack in your teens (and honestly who hasn't) you'll get by.
also the word douȝti suggests there's a chunk of scots in there.