what was so important about Old English and Middle English that we felt the need to label them and what are the main differences?
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Languages change over time. “Old English” isn’t English. As in, if you went back in time to England a thousand years ago, you wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone, because English back then was so different that it’s a different language, no different in that regard from modern German or Danish.
Middle English is a middle ground between the two. Something more comprehensible to a modern speaker, though you’d still struggle to speak with a Middle English speaker.
You know how, when you read Shakespeare, it’s really weird? Most of that is because he’s writing using the language common in the late 16th century. It would have been a lot easier to follow to the viewers of the time.
This is the way language goes. I have no doubt that in the 31st century, languages will have evolved to the point where 21st century language is incomprehensible to the average person. That’s just how things change.
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