A London Accent from the 14th to the 21st Centuries

If you'd like to read more about the history of south-eastern English pronunciation, I'd recommend the Cambridge History of the English Language series. I used volumes II and III extensively for this video, but if there are mistakes, they're far more likely to be mine. The chapters on phonology are particularly interesting.
If you have any specific questions, I'm more than happy to answer them in a comments and provide a page reference, or a reference to another piece of research. I also have a few videos on similar topics. My videos on the consonants and vowels of Old English go through some of the methods by which older pronunciation is reconstructed.
My sister's etsy: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Cryingin...
My dad's: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/RopShopC...
Josh Liesicke's redbubble: www.redbubble.com/people/Sinc...
CORRECTIONS:
Julia G. commented that 1646 recording mentions the display of a crucifix at a time (presumably the 1570s-1580s) when the open practice of Catholicism was considered high treason in England. I admit I had the timings slightly wrong here - although I think it is possible that some families privately kept hold of Catholic items and displayed them occasionally, it would have been dangerous. The mention of the crucifix was designed to provide a contrast to his comment at the end of the recording, which refers to the fact that Christmas was soon to be illegalised altogether.
Leona Bastet commented that 'spooked' (to describe a horse) is not appropriate in the Middle/Early Modern English period - the word 'spook' seems to be a later Dutch loan word! This was a result of me not really knowing which texts to look for the appropriate word in, and going for the modern one I'm most familiar with. Sorry about that!

[@Nudibranch_]

I’m from 14th century London I can confirm this is accurate

[@bobsmith5441]

It is great to have an actual testimonial from the time period to confirm. Thank you

[@Paul20661]

XD

[@thecamocampaindude5167]

Im from the 19th, how are you kind sir?

[@OakwiseBecoming]

Must break your heart to see the ethnocide of your people taking place in real time.

[@zakme5638]

😂

[@smellsliketheonlynirvanasongyk]

Damn, this guy had to live for 7 centuries just to record this video. what a legend

[@slicksnewonenow]

😅😂🤣 EXCELLENT!

[@slaydog5102]

Wow such an original joke!

[@bruce8429]

Does anyone know where his fountain of youth is? I've been looking for it forever.

[@smellsliketheonlynirvanasongyk]

1k likes? You guys are crazy lol

[@technox8166]

Not through 7 centuries, more like the 70s. Horrible sideburns and extremely unmaintained hair as typical with someone who does a video like this.

[@alxmtncstudio2066]

NOW I understand why we say English has germanic roots. Earlier accents display just that

[@terrybull1534]

Uhhh and a lot of the words ate derived from german

[@pancakepop680]

​@@terrybull1534I think you need to look up the origins of Latin

[@terrybull1534]

@pancakepop680 I think you need to look up the origins of English bud

[@midnightriot2454]

It sounds more Scottish to me lol

[@grixxly2768]

@@midnightriot2454Scottish originated from a similar place that is modern day Germany and the netherlands

[@truthseeker9945]

Phenomenal talent. His voice went from the 14th to the 21st century whilst his side burns remained in the 17th Century

[@leventeszaffenauer4142]

underrated comment right here.

[@kiriakoz]

I appreciate this one.

[@wamarite]

😂😂

[@teodorfoks8921]

More like 19th century

[@laceandribbonsviolin]

Whilst😆🙃

[@minethegap]

This sounds like my Welsh uncle sobering up when he comes over on Christmas Day every year

[@babbabooey1176]

Lmao

[@unbabunga229]

😅😅😅😅

[@Josh-by8er]

as a welshman, i can confirm that we all sound like this through the course of a night out

[@jamiehinch9239]

😂😂

[@joederbo6151]

Oh yes, every stage of it... 😂💯

[@Growmetheus]

1400s: yiddish grandpa 1500s: nordic lad 1600s: german grandma/posh irishman 1700s: an american immigrant 1800s: an australian immigrant 1900s: an audio book

[@tander101]

Every one of the accents sounds Scandinavian to me, but I'm Canadian.

[@assassinaria]

@@tander101 I feel like it's just the intonation of the speaker's voice. Unfortunately, it's unavoidable. He sounds Irish in some instances. If you listen to some audio recordings from the mid-late 1800s, it doesn't sound very much like that.

[@eethvamp]

I heard German, Scottish, Irish, and Australian.

[@AbcdEfgh-sq2tf]

Lol so the current american accent is just 1700s british accent?

[@polinttalu7102]

@@AbcdEfgh-sq2tf yes

[@Rose_Nebula]

It’s crazy how you do all this and don’t consider yourself a linguist yet. This is incredible work.

[@scooterlibbie]

Well you can't just declare yourself a linguist. You gotta have a degree

[@snake_eater1963]

linguistics hire this man

[@WonkelDee]

@@scooterlibbiethat’s bullshit

[@scooterlibbie]

@@WonkelDee tell me more, Dr. Wonkel

[@WonkelDee]

@@scooterlibbieNot every title requires a degree. A linguist is anyone who studies languages or is skilled at one.

[@marthinlarsen1473]

1346: sounds more like a blend or scottish, irish, Welsh. 1406: sound a bit much like Norwegian, Danish and Swedish aswell, the pronunciation of the words. 1466: a bit Dutch 1526: more English from nowadays. Amazing work, this is incredible🙏👨‍🏫👨‍🌾

[@andersbodin1551]

as a swedish and english speaker, the 1406 accent is so trippy; my ears can't decide wether to process it as english or as swedish.

[@daviddesert3132]

Yes. I have been in Sweden 30 years and got the same trip!

[@andersbodin1551]

@@daviddesert3132 its kindof like one of thouse ilusions where you can ether see an old man or a young lady but not at the same time, but for your ears.

[@drott150]

Engage Swenglish mode and it'll be fine.

[@Annawe]

It reminded me of my Grandparents when they spoke (They were Dutch). Very trippy.

[@per6605]

To me it sounds like icelandic

[@twobobruss]

They all sound like Ozzy Osbourne at different stages of drunk

[@rott5533]

SHAROOOOOOOOOON

[@ThePimpedOutwaffle]

😂😂

[@thatchonkyfonky3327]

SOMEONES GONE IN MY ROOM AND TAKEN MY BEERS OUT OF MY ROOM

[@rott5533]

@@thatchonkyfonky3327 WHO IS THE BEER THIEF

[@user-sl7ki4ip7v]

😂😂😂😂

[@Tj33372]

Farmers in Northern Ireland still talk like it’s the 14th century, and I can understand this video better 😂

[@RT-qd8yl]

People don't say it enough here, but THANK YOU so much for not running ads on your videos

[@jtperez657]

Just use brave browser. No ads on anything

So basically you prefer when people do a great job and get paid nothing for it?

[@O.bengee]

Pay for premium 😂

[@RT-qd8yl]

Fuck yeah I do.

[@RT-qd8yl]

@@O.bengee Or use Brave browser instead

[@flyingorange4493]

You can really hear how Germanic English really is with the 1406 version.

[@bismanaufa5618]

11 days ago 111 likes

[@flyingorange4493]

@@bismanaufa5618 >11 hours ago

[@greathornedowl1783]

English still sounds really germanic and doesn't actually sound all that different today. Watch what english sounds like to foreigners.

[@flyingorange4493]

@@greathornedowl1783 Yeah that's a cool video. I think both are good demonstrations of that.

[@Ultrajamz]

Almost irish sounding

[@Antaios632]

As an American, it's fascinating to hear it get closer to a North American accent through the late 1700s, and then diverge after that.

[@StratocastRS]

may be why tidewater accents and west/virginia accents sound very similar

[@StratocastRS]

also southern US and Western english accents

[@GreatGreebo]

After hearing this it now makes sense HOW Yanks ended up sounding like they do considering when the bulk of people emigrated from the UK to the USA…it’s fascinating! I love this video.

[@mausiwerner]

I genuinely don’t see how that sounds like a North American accent to be honest. It still sounds significantly British.

[@GreatGreebo]

@@mausiwerner I can see if you don’t hear UK accents very often then it probably does sound VERY British (or Irish to be exact) but if you’re exposed to British accents all day, every day then it sounds so VERY North American!

[@jenmdawg]

I take delight in the sheer number of people who find this fascinating. I’m going to guess that most don’t even know why (it’s just in our bones - this curiosity) but I’m so grateful to live in a time where refined/specific scholars can reach so many so easily. What a joy to listen to.

[@rockinrobinn]

i love how he speaks in these accents and dialects naturally with stuttering or slips and tone changes rather than a robotic script like a lot of other language channels do it feels really real

[@FirstnameLastname-qe3ry]

17th century: i shall nev'r give thee up, i shall nev'r let thee down! 21st century: *bo'ohw'o'wo'er*

[@hagayuyu2941]

Is it just me or did someone just Rick rolled me in 17th century England style

[@carlosandleon]

lmao took me a while to get the 21st century one

[@smittywerbenjaegermanjense2350]

@@carlosandleon I still can't get it🤣🤣

[@carlosandleon]

@@smittywerbenjaegermanjense2350 bottle of water

[@urphakeandgey6308]

It says "bo'll of wo'er," but all I see is "Boomhower." (I know it's "Boomhauer.")

[@Marauder1981]

Linguist here; you ARE a linguist.

[@blllllllllllllllllllrlrlrl7059]

Fuckin' Tremendous.

[@lewishunt6133]

Blue cheese with wings

[@Laura-sg6ss]

@@lewishunt6133 with wingsss🤣🤣🤣 what does this meannn

[@lewishunt6133]

@@Laura-sg6ss type in Joey Diaz blue cheese

[@Laura-sg6ss]

@@lewishunt6133 eheheh okayyy

[@Kalarandir]

The early accents have so many similarities to Scots you would hear in the Ayrshire twang of my grandparents.

[@stephanie80s]

The second section is astonishingly Nordic-sounding. And the change from the mid 17th to the early 18th century is just extraordinary! Marvellous video, thank you!

[@lavinia1554]

21st century: u fookin wot m8??

[@cyanscrewdriver2092]

“Oi bruv wot u sayin”

[@acutetriangle8923]

@verb8m HAHAHAHAHAHHA SO FUCKING FUNNY LOL YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS 😐

[@brian.8712]

@@acutetriangle8923 ahlie

[@tiaan8551]

@@acutetriangle8923 ware droe knot jy

[@travelbugse2829]

@@acutetriangle8923 This is all Greek to me.

[@PettyMitch]

As someone born in 1683 I can confidently say you nailed them all. Edit: I had no idea this had so many likes😭 thank y’all for all of them lol.

[@RO-st8wh]

🤣🤣 underated comment

[@nialllambert3194]

I came to Europe from the Bronx in 1492, and you guys sure spoke some jive.

[@marinam1660]

It’s an idea of how people spoke

[@timestima]

Vampire?

[@ois9]

Oh how nice. I was born in 1684 myself.

[@mmedeuxchevaux]

I'm just so impressed that you took on this challenge in the first place - and executed it perfectly. Utterly fascinating. And I love that, just to be kind, you added your family's Etsy shop links.

[@sondose5447]

It’s crazy how much more germanic it sounds

[@MakhalanyaneMotaung]

As an Aussie I can hear how the 1800s London accent influenced ours

[@treblerebel2362]

That's because it was all our London jails were full so they sent us cockneys to Australia

[@MakhalanyaneMotaung]

@@treblerebel2362 exactly right mate

[@stcovel]

Interesting - the late 1700s / 1800s sound a bit closer to American to me

[@haveyoumettess]

As an American, the 1706 one sound not far off from a “typical” American accent and I am SHOOK

[@MakhalanyaneMotaung]

@@haveyoumettess like our respective accents are frozen time capsules of England when they invaded these lands

[@spaceonion4126]

I'd love to see a period drama set in England using the actual language of the time

[@christinawatkinsyoutube]

Me too! Fed up with all these posh accents haha

[@nimeshajayatunge4007]

The VVitch!

[@TheSatsumaman]

Akenfield is a drama from the 70s that is famous for having recorded dead dialects in suffolk

[@56postoffice]

If I remember, *"Ripper Street"* used language spoken by Victorian Londoners of the late 1880s.

[@focalpointsound]

Not quite what you asked for but The Witch by Robert Eggers uses New England language.

[@melodyvalentine8779]

Im from the North East of England and the first few of these sounded very much like our accent, mixed with some Welsh and the odd bit of Irish. Right up until the 1700s it sounded very similar, we still say hoose, fatha, nowt, etc.

[@remaincalm2]

I've decided not to time travel back beyond 1526 because I wouldn't have a clue what they're saying.

[@akcentz.accents2561]

As a gentleman growing up in the 1400's, one can confirm this is accurate to the most acute degree

[@tselengbotlhole750]

😂😂😂

[@jahermos]

Hahahaha

[@Oscuros]

Why would someone from the 15th Century use Victorian language like "acute"? You're clearly just a modern American.

[@tselengbotlhole750]

Oscuros jeez loosen up, this is a joke 😂😂😂 really man are you serious?😂😂😂

[@Eire_Aontaithe]

@@tselengbotlhole750 He is right.

[@HAYDS510]

note to self... don't set the time machine any earlier than the 1600's, or you will not understand jack shit.

[@user-no9im9px6e]

This is what i always think... will i be able to speak to english (or dutch) people if i go far back in time XP

[@glenamw]

LOL, omg, you are too funny

[@conciseenglish7486]

The trick is to just try to think of written English completely phonetically. For example, they used to pronounce "said" like "sah-eed" instead of "sed"

[@Why_did_YouTube_add_handles]

@@conciseenglish7486 ur actually smart ngl

[@InfernosReaper]

I could get the hang of it, but for awhile, I'd be a might bit sodded...

[@Marlo_Strannik]

This is so informative and interesting. To hear the voices, two generations at a time, really makes historical people feel real.

[@CraigMaxwell-gz3vw]

I particularly loved the beautifully non-intrusive “ad” at the end , I might actually check that out.

[@adamd.philips7657]

As a non-native English speaker, this is an ultimate listening test

[@milesolszko2062]

As a native English speaker I can barely make sense of the first one without subtitles.

[@Youtube_Stole_My_Handle_Too]

@@milesolszko2062 For those who know Norwegian, this couldn't be a test unless it was woke and made to get only winners. Probably because of Viking influence five hundred years before.

[@flavanone9884]

As a native, I can’t really understand anything until the 1500s

[@giraffesinc.2193]

As a NATIVE English speaker, this is an ultimate listening test.

[@LydiaMoMydia]

as a native speaker i cant understand anything from the 1300s, i can vaguely understand the 1400s and can almost perfectly understand the 1460s

[@kutukteyiz408]

So my accent has nothing to do with my being Turkish. I just learnt the language in 1706.

[@hannyhawkins7804]

But I’ll bet it’s better English than my Turkish, or most other people on this YT.

[@kutukteyiz408]

@@hannyhawkins7804 Most probably but it’s definitely not your fault. :) Turkish is tough to learn for Native speakers of European languages. It is originated from Altai mountains and has a very different structure. İ.e. My Korean friends learn Turkish easier than they learn English.

[@-dogu-5231]

krallll

[@kab1r]

@@kutukteyiz408 that's interesting thanks for sharing

[@GorillaFlakes]

Yh ur white basically

[@lisaash7535]

This is amazing! My dad was a geordie and I can hear something like his accent in that very first recording. "Hoose"! Didn't think I'd be able to follow these stories but I could, quite easily. What a wonderful video. Well done and thank you!

[@dr.zespert]

i loved this!! the idea of grandfathers passing down stories to their grandsons, then hearing those grandsons passing down their stories, beautiful.

[@scottcarroll9201]

The 1706 and 1766 accents give you an idea also of how the American colonists of the time sounded. I'm always amused when movies about the American Revolution depict the British soldiers with posh, non rhotic pronunciation. The reality is they wouldn't have sounded much different from the American colonists they were fighting.

[@j.franknorris2346]

I noticed that too. Absolutely mind blowing when you think about it

[@G1CAAAAEO]

Hollywood propaganda, as usual.

[@NLSBLN]

@@j.franknorris2346 I am german, but i just thought about that right now. I`m so happy that i`ve just found a video about the sounds!! unbelievable (or however you write that xD)

[@NLSBLN]

Oh i wrote that right, lol

[@angelwings9500]

I hear how similarly Americans now sound a bit like the 1700s.

[@PositiveVibes94]

Everyone is talking about the amazing quality if the accents, but no one is talking about the amazing "time period appropriate" monologues being spoken! Maybe they were taken from diaries or something from real people of the time, but if these were written as scripts to be read from, then massive kudos. Each monologue felt like a real snapshot story from the past

[@BencsikZs]

Exactly same thoughts. My favourite one is the 1706.

[@gregorytrotter6657]

The accompanying text describes pronunciation practices for each time period and how they came to be. They seem mostly to have been arrived at from the ways words were spelled by representative writers from the different periods.

[@ThorfinnMacbeth]

@@gregorytrotter6657 agreed!

[@ZeR0W1]

I liked the one about the great London fire

[@Y-two-K]

@@BencsikZs the rhotic 'r's make it sound a bit American. which makes sense because British didn't ditch rhotic 'r's until later

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

Amazing. My grandmother's passion was genealogy and traced our families back to the 10th century. Hard to go any further, and even then there's a lot of inferred "facts". And I remember her telling me that even though I speak English, I would not be able to speak with native Britannia because of how different the English language was back then. I never really believed that until now. Seeing this, rather, hearing this video has convinced me she was right. Well played sir. No better feeling than to have doubts vanquished!

[@morpheuszzz662]

Thank you so much for doing this, Simon. This is truly amazing.

[@N0THANKY0U]

you always start your videos with "i'm not a linguist", how much linguistics do you have to do until you start accepting that you kind of are a bit of a linguist

[@fox_2312]

N0THANKY0U well I think officially he needs a degree

[@-haclong2366]

Hobby linguist or amateur linguist, as that would accurately describe him.

[@RobinDBanks-re9nz]

A cunning linguist perhaps

[@adams7637]

@@-haclong2366 his skills are certainly at a professional level

[@inigo137]

We live in a society in which you aren't shit until you have have a paper saying that you know what you know.

[@DarkwaveDave]

I’m Scottish and understood the early accents quite well.

[@janfvideoblog]

As a non-native speaker, this is what hit me first. Earliest accents sound a lot like scottish english to me. Don't know why.

[@danielgriffin9986]

this is what i said 'As a scottish man, I guess this is how we sound to other english speakers lmao. From the early english i could understand most of what was being said because it sounds a lot like the slang we use today but still very difficult' it is funny how scottish the early language sounds

[@geordie114]

Same as here in Geordie Northumberland.

[@beslemeto]

@@geordie114 Probably they changed the pronunciation mostly in London...

[@jemima4242]

& here in Cumbria! Sounds like what we think ‘traveller’ accent. They have it right - want to become self sufficient miself!

[@MrsWilberforce2]

That's incredible. It wasn't until you got to 1706 that I could understand everything. Before that it was only maybe 3 words out of 10, and those other 7 sounded completely foreign.

[@eat.food.not.friends]

This is so amazing.... Thank you, it was so interresting to listen.... Not just how they spoke, but also the stories they told were so interresting...

[@t.c.bramblett617]

"He was SPOOKED and he RAN OFF into the WODES" I felt that

[@anatolydyatlov963]

Happens to me every damn time. It's like an instinct.

[@themountainsandthesea4121]

Yeah,me too.

[@ezzie9167]

Mood

[@hannahzwic5975]

Paul from 90 day fiance

[@hanz090]

@Hannah zwic 💀😂

[@patrickking9600]

You are a true amateur, from the original French word l’amour, meaning a lover of something. No one is paying you to do this, it’s not in your job description, you just love it. Good on you man, this is fantastic!

[@simonroper9218]

Thank you! That's very kind :)

[@diogeneslantern18]

I believe the great Bobby Jones was also once quoted as saying (and I paraphrase) "to be an amateur is to have a love of the game [golf], to play for money is to lose that love and replace it"

[@clairegranier2428]

L’amour means love, but it is close enough :)

[@clairegranier2428]

Lover is l’amant or l’amoureux

[@FannomacritaireSuomi]

Amateur comes through Old French yes, but not from the noun _amour_ (love), instead of the Italian verb _amare_ (or as they say "amatore"). Always check your sources.

[@JimmyDropout]

Simon, this is a work of art. Congrats from Italy!

[@adrianneavenicci]

What an extraordinary video and channel. I’m looking forward to watching them all.

[@beek.4860]

My great-grandmother (born in the early 1920s) has lived in rural Tasmania all her life and was descended from London convicts of the mid-1800s, and I recognized the 1886 English accent immediately as the one she imitates when telling stories of her own grandparents or uncles or aunts born at that time.

[@agneseditsstuff]

that's fantastic!

[@Bpl541]

That’s very interesting. Thankyou🙏

[@willem1113]

Fellow Tasmanian?

[@jaif7327]

god bless your great grandmother

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

One of the few languages in the world that lacks both m and n does use m, but only as an alternative for another sound when you want to sound ancient

[@_agent47_]

To me as a german, the older ones really do sound a bit closer to our language. Even sounds a little dutch from time to time. Super interesting.

[@jemand7488]

Dutch has always sounded like the bridge between English and german to me

[@joeynyesss1286]

That’s because old English’s closest relation is Frisian which is a Germanic lanagauge. I’m from England but speak some German and it was my first thought also. It has a German flow to it if that makes sense.

[@jorex6816]

Ja, klingt wirklich sehr stark nach Plattdeutsch

[@burn5011]

English is a Germanic language

[@Yow531]

True, the oldest ones sound Dutch

[@onetrueslave]

This is precisely why I've yearned for a time machine. Thank you, Simon, this is gold.

[@mtinkerton]

This video just popped up on my page and thought id have a wee nosy. Im so glad I did. I have no idea what any of the notes were about, but found the recordings really interesting. Thank you fir sharing this

[@BrookeSingleton]

My favorite thing about this (besides your voice) is how instead of just talking randomly you made it like a story- each man talking is supposed to be the grandson of the previous man talking. That was just a really cool thing to do.

[@kaiabeatty9355]

And then there's the one man reciting nursery rhymes lmao

[@meganhartmann180]

@@kaiabeatty9355 That's my favorite! I'm like, "Hey, I know this one!" Lol

[@GargoyleBard]

And then the next guy talks about how his grandfather would read books and poems to them...loved that detail

[@kevinyoung42]

Creative, interesting and entertaining 👍🏽

[@TheRealShedLife]

And they seem relevant to the times depicted - the worries or problems of folk in each era. And it sounds like I went back in time and am standing there, listening to some dude talk to me and in the early ones there was little to understand. The listener also thinks: what's this dude from the 14th century going to think when I start talking? Not to mention the time machine.

[@PrisonBrain]

im an icelandic speaker and its really crazy how similar the 14th-17th century accents sound to what you can expect from alot of nordic languages

[@andyc9902]

Crazy innit

[@stephenfox6943]

I thought it sounds more dutch. Ya gett Mae bro

[@sandravanderveek239]

I think when you go back a couple more centuries , Germanic languages all sounded the same

[@eternity68]

Viking heritage, im swedish and heard it too

[@Prince_Sharming]

That's William the Conqueror for you.

[@amandaross8652]

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you for taking the time to make this.

[@redmoonvenus7327]

Wow that was instructive ! As a non-english--first-language person, I had to start by the 2006 accent and go backway, to understand what was talked about. But I am amazed at the amount of research that went into this ! Bravo.

[@alanhyt79]

Actors in period films can be more precise by research like this.

[@arkle519]

If you're interested, a TV series named John Adams is set during early parts of American history and it does a good job of recreating accents from those times.

[@georgie3593]

They have no excuse when info like this is free on the internet lol

[@banjopink4409]

'Incomprehensible', you mean.

[@tarawhittington5686]

@@banjopink4409 I have to agree with Banjo Pink on this. I have no knowledge of linguistics. if I heard this, I'd not only fail to understand half of it but also think it was a butchered attempt at accents I better recognise. It sounds really inconsistent to me so I'd think the actor had done very little research and spliced together bits of everything

[@geekygalaxy4307]

I think it's like when you watch an English film set in France, for example. The actors are speaking English because the main audience will be able to understand it even though they should be speaking French. Same as if you have a film set in 1300s England, you're not really going to be able to understand it unless you're concentrating really hard

[@Notemug]

As a professional linguist I can vouchsafe that Simon is using reliable sources, is a discernible reader, but also has an undeniable talent for accent work. In short, I recommend his clips to my students and also delight in them myself.

[@onur4739]

You're not a professional linguist.

[@Notemug]

@@onur4739 I can assure you that I am.

[@alrightalright4585]

Why is every comment the same dudes talking smack? 🤣 just chill guys

[@TheLunnyBear]

@@Notemug you're not

[@Norvaal3]

Simon, you may be an amateur linguist in the sense of not having the coursework and credentials, but you're a very good amateur. You've proven what you can do with access to the university library, and it's amazing. I first saw this video the month you released it, and it's one that I have reviewed many times since then.

[@helenandhercoffee]

Amazing! I didn't expect I'll listen through the whole thing and enjoy it so much !!!!

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

I laughed at the disclaimer that said, "these are reconstructions and not actual recordings from the time." Anyone who thinks there are actual recordings of 14th Century people speaking English have been watching too much Doctor Who!

[@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849]

Kalinysta Zvoruna those are the same people who’ll spend lots of money on an “ancient” coin dated 56 BC.

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

@@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849 Yep. Although a former boss of mine had gone to Jerusalem and came back with a "present" for me. It was a piece of pottery he said dated to the Roman era. He said he just picked it up off the ground as stuff like that was just lying around. Don't know if it's real or not, but I still have it. Reminded me of a Mayan friend I had who told me that in her ancestral homeland, which she occasionally visited to see relatives, they'd find Mayan artefacts lying around their backyard. ::shrugs::

[@thisisme2681]

🤣🤣

[@ayla5930]

@@kalinystazvoruna8702 don’t know about the people you know but there are places that just have artifacts lying around in fact there’s places like that to this day out west in the desert and in some of the National parks although if you were to remove anything I’m sure you’d be given an extremely large fine

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

@@ayla5930 Wouldn't be surprised in the least. I met my Mayan friend back in the 1970s and, as I said, when she went back to her ancestral home, she'd find these artefacts in the backyard. Unfortunately, I lost touch with her in the late 1970s.

[@kishaheena]

The older, the more it sounds Scandinavian, old'ish, mainly Swedish / Norwegian. Really interesting !

[@hadeurmom5796]

norse vikings would've been able to hold some simple conversations with the anglo saxons! so yes they were quite similar quite literally not just accent wise

[@englishmaninmedellin7294]

It sounded a bit Scottish/Irish to me, with the earlier speech around 1400-1600. Is that more similar to Scandinavian? Are scots and Irish easier to understand for you guys? Fascinating, if so.

[@VICKY08TZ]

I got the same feeling! And I am not Scandinavian nor English. I thought it sounded completely Swedish/Norwegian. You can finally hear the germanic origin of English language.

[@AngelofSin666666]

@@hadeurmom5796 Actually this is something I have been really wondering while watching these Vikings/Last Kingdom shows. Since the Saxons and Norse languages have a common root, is it known to what extent they were able to understand each other, and how long it would take a Saxon "captured by Vikings" to learn their language to some extent?

[@hadeurmom5796]

@@AngelofSin666666 they would’ve only really been able to just about understand. i wouldn’t say complex conversations would’ve been very common due to just cultural terms and words and pronunciation. saxons captured or even saxons living amongst vikings, which was common in a lot of places, would’ve slowly been able to understand each-other more and more accurately

[@Mabellevie17]

Very interesting! Thank you for including all the information in the timeline!

[@Cogitoergosum10]

A Christmas classic, watch this every year with my family

[@noblestsavage1742]

Can’t believe you actually needed to tell folk they are not actually recordings of folk from before recording existed😂😂

[@twiglet2214]

Yep - i saw one recently where the narrator said " ...and of course there was no electricity then.." referring back to 600 years ago ! And then there was the plastic self assembly dog kennel for sale with a picture on the box it came in of a retriever by the kennel and the caveat " dog not included " !

[@tamsinwood2]

🤣

[@bigsteve6729]

They've actually played back sounds that were accidentally etched into clay pots as the sounds made at the time etched sound waves into the clay as they were moulding them with some sort of brush tool on the wheel and the vibrations were etched into it. Google it pretty interesting, so there kind of is recordings that exist before recordings 😁👍😂

[@twiglet2214]

@@bigsteve6729 Absolutely correct - they discovered small engines fitted to the clay receptacles and they think they were discarded because it drove them potty.They used them in Colchester where i live - Britains oldest recorded town - so yet again factually correct - they were known as clayers which is where the word players has it's origins.

[@SubrosaJoe]

Folk

[@eurowestgirl]

It’s amazing how the standard American accent has a lot more in common with the 1706 accent than any other.

[@iceomistar4302]

Makes sense, Colonial America was settled in this time, Londoners still spoke with a post vocalic /r/ and the great vowel shift was still taking place so the vowels show more phonemic contrasts than let's say the modern London accents.

[@frost1183]

It’s so crazy it’s awesome once I heard the old accents of the 1700s I was like. WHAT? That sounds like my grandparents here in America! This is why I’ve heard that American and Irish English sounds like original English.

[@danielavelar4109]

I believe they were the same but after the Industrial Revolution, there were a small amount of rich folks who wanted to distinguish themselves. They ended up emphasizing their accents in order to distinguish themselves from “commoners”

[@thomsboys77]

@@frost1183It still isn’t “original English”. There are many regional English accents that predate the discovery of America

[@MikehMike01]

1766 sounds significantly more American but neither sounds American

[@lizbecker1677]

This was fun. Aside from listening to the accents, which was really fascinating, I liked hearing the stories from Christmases long, long ago!

[@Wingfeatherfan]

I was born and raised on the Cumberland plateau in the US. Am amazed at being able to understand most of this, even the earlier passages. In fact some of the diphthongs and even fill expressions remind me of how old folks in the hills and hollows used to talk when I was a child.

[@scottnyc6572]

You’re right about the geographical location and where people settled.Seems the dialects in certain areas of the country can still be heard.Its amazing insight.

[@50shekels]

For every 2-3 shots of vodka my English appears to travel 50 years back in time, and around the 15th I start speaking Indo-European

[@brihqnnq]

😂

[@Logined85]

If you were not squatting it wasn’t vodka

[@hwlsgrl]

@@Logined85 lmaooo

[@fifacolourcommentary2332]

I used to speak my own language as a kid, don't ask me why but I did, yes it's weird

[@mpgnz73]

My drinking is even worse. I start speaking "cave man" dialect.

[@richardfinlayson1524]

The early ones sound Dutch, you can hear the similarity with Germanic languages

[@ainsleygritter7552]

Yes! I heard the same thing!

[@Likes_Trains]

sounds more Frisian than Dutch :)

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Anglo Saxon, Old English, was a Germanic language.

[@merlin2627]

@@Likes_Trains totally right, English is part of the Anglo-Frisian branch, so English is nearer to Frisian than Dutch.

[@lil_weasel219]

ot is a germanic language

[@LeaWhite21]

This is incredible. Thank you so much for making this video

[@TheMarilita7]

What a amazing video, I am impressed by your research, well done! Bravo! As a South European that lived in London for years, I am mesmerized by the really "harsh" but super cool sounds of english, especially 1406 - 1646!

[@PikkaBite]

I don't know why KZbin put this in my recommendations but I'm glad it did.

[@cathjj840]

Join the club! See his number of subs? Half of them at least had your same thought.

[@alexhek]

Same here

[@cubedtothex]

Same

[@jamiejudd7146]

Me too!

[@bublechick]

Same here!

[@danielasanchez4674]

I have a linguistics degree, but I'm not doing the work this man is doing. HE IS A TRUE LINGUIST

[@sylamy7457]

Did you get the degree because you actually enjoy linguistics? Just wondering

[@danielasanchez4674]

@@sylamy7457 yeah, I spend my free time learning about languages so linguistics was what I chose lol. You dont have to get a career based on your degree though lol

[@jessicaeasterlyfriel5699]

Same here. I have a degree in lit/linguistics and I'm not doing this work.

[@surfinairwaves9284]

It’s astonishing to me the story you tell at 1706.. my grandfather was mayor of London.. 1666 I’m his direct descendant. What’s wild to me is hearing this and gathering all details for the experience lol very well done

[@surfinairwaves9284]

@@DM-ur8vc do you presume im older? Why do you ask lol

[@surfinairwaves9284]

@@DM-ur8vc you do realize you have a grandfather from 1666 as well right? You have parents and they all had parents all the way since the beginning of time to Adam and Eve..

[@surfinairwaves9284]

@@DM-ur8vc of course.. however saying that many greats is a waist of finger movements when it’s common sense… however if your a special case I may make an exception with a cookie

[@mbbsboi7248]

@@surfinairwaves9284 correct term is ancestor, that ain’t your grandfather bro

[@surfinairwaves9284]

@@mbbsboi7248 he was my 9th great grandfather even as it says on my tree. Even though you don’t meet them they are still your great grandfather.

[@secretagent7888]

Just came across this. Wow. I am from London and this is a breathtaking undertaking, like init. Congrats mate.

[@andersaxmark5871]

Thrice-conferred linguistics degree-holder here: you don't need a degree to be a linguist.

[@guillermoalejandrogonzalez5160]

What do you do for a living? If you don’t mind me asking. I’m currently starting in Linguistics after recently changing Majors.

[@erikwinsor5540]

I have a linguistics degree myself, and I absolutely agree. I thoroughly enjoy his videos, and I'd say that his area of interest certainly makes him a linguist. It crosses so many other fields of study -- heck, my initial interest in linguistics came from an anthropology course I took!

[@guillermoalejandrogonzalez5160]

@@erikwinsor5540 Nice! I was contemplating Anthropology too for a while. But eventually decided on Linguistics. I hear some of the most common career opportunities for this are things such as Speech-Language Pathology, TESOL or ESL and Lexicology I believe it was called. Are any of these accurate ?

[@lorigetz4489]

Guillermo Alejandro Gonzalez I have friend with a Masters degree in linguistics and works in executive finance. I’ve also known a guy with a linguistics background who works in tech.

[@guillermoalejandrogonzalez5160]

@@lorigetz4489 Huh. Well to each their own I suppose. Guess it's a reality of the world that a lot of people do indeed end up working in a profession unrelated to their degree. Wish that weren't the case.

[@Junnelayos]

So all those historical movies we've seen have wrong accents.

[@SparrowValentine]

Yeah ofc. They're filmed with the 1946+ accents

[@ocdplaylistmaker7032]

This is one example why I wish there was more interdisciplinary interaction between scientists, because they probably miss things too

[@ocdplaylistmaker7032]

But also with movies and games - it immerses you while also bringing a level of authenticity you can really appreciate but also you can trust it more - if that makes sense

[@toriw4103]

To be fair. I wouldn’t understand a lick of what they’d say if they used authentic accents/dialects for the times

[@arrow1414]

True but if they did use the correct versions of English according to time period 99.7% of people would not understand. Subtitles would be neccesary.

[@rominiyi1385]

I started to very gradually understand what was being said from 1466 up until 1586 where I could understand a significant amount. After that I could understand most of it up until 1706 from where I could understand everything being said from there on in ... so the time leading immediately up to 1706 is the most important for me personally in the context of this historical video clip. Well done for making this!

[@quaternion73]

This is fantastic to listen to. I’m amazed that I can understand almost everything

[@TMcB23]

I’m really confused how the London accent wavered around a Germanic-Celtic accent for 400 years and then, in the space of 50 years in the Victorian period, went from that to a recognisable east end accent!!

[@RazorEdge2006]

Industrial Revolution

[@KHANSTER1029]

Yup industrial revolution. To clarify it further, when the industrial revolution happened, people from many different cities with varying accents travelled to find work in big industrial cities like London and I think Birmingham. This intermingling of accents and speech styles rapidly changed the way the standard London accent was

[@mariekatherine5238]

Most likely globalization caused by the Industrial Revolution. We’re still on this trajectory with the internet. Worldwide and regional accents are disappearing.

[@riotgrrrrl167]

They started taking with Americans lol But tourists change accents do to pronunciation immigrants is really what im looking for.

[@carlosandleon]

@@mariekatherine5238 standard "american" is the accent most international students default to kinda

[@sonnyk8761]

Can’t believe you had to use a disclaimer when talking about accents from the 14 century.

[@adambrown3918]

Well, you never know if some immortals like Dracula or Duncan MacLeod might come across the video and get offended. LOL! 🤣

[@MrsSlocombesPuddyCat]

😂 Yes I was bamboozled by the need for a disclaimer too!

[@Biporian]

@@jupitorious7925 it’s English though?

[@jupitorious7925]

@@Biporian they speak English

[@skatergirlskatergirl2486]

You wouldn't believe how many people watch Mrs Crocombe's Victorian cookery videos on the English Heritage channel and say they had no idea there was television in the 1880s.

[@abdulhamidtomal5204]

Absolutely amazing work. Loved it!!

[@terryolsson4145]

Very interesting as I am of British persuasion and have a strong tendency to lean towards British history and culture. Thank you.

[@Roxanewolfie]

Can I just say, not only is this a brilliant way to show the evolution of a language, but such a difficult concept to pull off? I can hardly imitate an Australian accent even with the ability to listen to clips of Australians speaking as much as I want. To do this with just study and books? To move through time with your speech and be able to do so consistently enough to tell a unique story in each pronunciation? That's some crazy impressive stuff right there, mate. Kudos!

[@simonroper9218]

I'll definitely have made some mistakes, but thank you! :)

[@glakshay2475]

@@simonroper9218 that is some serious modesty level Simon.

[@alickroberts5194]

@@glakshay2475 well it is slighly easier to imitate an accent when no one actually currently uses it and can gainsay your guess.

[@iwontlikeyourcomment5487]

I’m Australian and even I can’t intimidate the one of those stereotypical Australian accents

[@Ublivion01]

@@iwontlikeyourcomment5487 well when I try to sound Australian I make my voice more nasally and less deep alongside the accent itself. Maybe try to deepen your voice a bit not too much and open your mouth more roundly instead of horizontally, but nothing extremely noticeable. This may not work at all, but I’m an American so I have no idea how I make my accent.

[@MykaDiMatzio]

I’m sure some of the Scottish highlands still speak in 1406

[@liamhemmings9039]

Reminds me of accents from around Thurso and Wick.

[@tomimpala]

It sounds more Welsh but

[@hiimpaul5171]

@@tomimpala ​Google global truth project and read "the Present" to see the truth about life/death. Nothing is more important than checking it is true, especially pgs 1-4

[@charmedprince]

Looking For Love your profile pic is everything!

[@denierdev9723]

@@hiimpaul5171 The fuck does that have to do with anything?

[@joewilliams3919]

Lots of “cute” modern comments - I couldn’t think one up, but I think this is an admirable and terrific effort to capture the rhythms of the evolution of English - VERY WELL DONE!

[@djSmokeShow]

I've never seen a presentation like this before, very interesting.

[@samueltphillips]

up until 1600 the accents sound like a geordie 5 pints deep

[@neonskyline1]

yeh i've just commented that, anglo saxon

[@leahjsmith5484]

🤣🤣😂😂

[@claredyson9936]

Damn I thought I would be smart and comment like that! I live above Newcastle and they do talk like that 🤣

[@ShiloStorm]

😂😂😂😂

[@sarahfender8400]

especially 1346 ... to be honest doens't sound much different from the older blokes in my family

[@neccodealer]

It is so incredibly interesting how groups that immigrated out of England somewhat bookmarked the London accent of the time they left

[@penderyn8794]

Not all migrants from Britain came from London though

[@rastaisfuture8630]

Also slave plantion descendants everywhere. Like the carribean, simetimes a mix of 1600 english and some african tongue. Lool into Patois in Jamaica for example

[@TheOmniCuriousCanvas]

They came from all over the lower part of England, but mostly the middle and east of England/

[@Jurassic_Fart]

Yeah like Australians and South Africans

[@adenwellsmith6908]

I think that's correct. What also is interesting is you could very easily transition from 21st century, to 1350's English. Some word changes, but understandable. Grandsire - Grandson. Other's are purely accent but the grammar is there.

[@malousmom9231]

I would love to hear the same text read with the different accents!! Your videos are fascinating!!!

[@rafaellastracom6411]

That was awesome! Reminded me of the scene from The 13th Warrior with Antonio Banderas when he learned to speak English. Just fantastic.

[@raiBK]

Ok memo to myself: Don't travel further back than 1466

[@cheeky1178]

Kudos to you I can't go back further then the 1700s or I'll be the village idiot.

[@originaluddite]

Likely we would each be fine after a few weeks or even days of exposure to it.

[@Sylkenwolf]

I'd be ok in 1300's but not 1400's. Lol. I'll never meet Jamie Frasier

[@SerenaYip]

@@Sylkenwolf but Claire meets him in 1743?

[@PeteLogan101]

😆

[@spike1927]

I'm hearing massive Welsh / Cymraeg / Celtic / Gaelic / Scottish in the earliest two sections. Absolutely incredible research and application. Well done Sir!

[@Unicorn-zb1mu]

I hear my Scottish accent 😮

[@AngryBulldogg]

I was getting Scottish and Geordie, with a Welsh twang on the end of words

[@ieuancilgwri3230]

Sounds germanic / north east to me - not welsh at all

[@I_Kan]

I hear Welsh a slight Plymouth accent too

[@Joolzratbag]

I heard Irish in the first one

[@queenoflammersland8562]

I love Shakespeare in the original pronunciation. The rhymes are intact and the verbal jests and barbs are much more effective

[@Soymilkx]

London accent in 2024 - مرحبًا، أنا من باكستان

[@Vonhia181]

London accent now is Jamaican and West African influenced now. Pakistani influence can be found further up north

[@brianmessemer2973]

You may not have degrees or professional qualifications in linguists but you're DOING THE WORK, SIR. I sincerely hope that professional linguists take delight in your enthusiastic and quite scholarly, if technically amateur, contributions to society's understanding of the field. Viewers with no notion of linguistics whatsoever will stumble on your videos, become intrigued, and some percentage of those people may actually get into linguistics professionally. You're a great contributor to the field of study in that way. This is absolutely lovely. Bravo and Merry Christmas.

[@jamiel6005]

For someone who is in secondary school, and looking to get into (probably historical?) linguistics, what would be beneficial to study/what paths can I take? Sorry if it’s a hard question, I just have absolutely no idea how to go into linguistics professionally.

[@swevixeh]

"People ask not what you know but what you have studied" -Some famous ethnic German statesman

[@joewood487]

@@jamiel6005 I have no idea but the best place to start if you don't get a reply on here would be to look at a few different linguistics degrees and see what entry requirements they have. Also don't be shy to phone up a university linguistics department and just ask them. Ask to speak to the course head. You'll find many of them are friendly people very happy to talk about their course. Sorry I couldn't be more useful! Good luck!

[@AngelEarth2011]

@@jamiel6005 You might consider starting with a degree in literature, or history (or a joint degree in literature and history), with your final dissertation focusing on historical linguistics in relation to some historical period or literature of a historical period. After that, you could do a Masters degree in linguistics, if possible one that has historical linguistics as a key component, and ending in a thesis that focuses on historical linguistics. And if you want to pursue an academic career, or simply want the intellectual challenge, you could commit 3-4 years to doing a PhD.

[@Matty002]

i wish there was more citizen science in the field of linguistics. the only one that comes to mind is the fourth floor stuff with labov but that of course doesnt technically count

[@TexKimball]

The 1766 accent sounds the most similar to the modern North American accent, which makes a lot of sense.

[@paulryan94]

Sounds nothing like the north American accent. What are you guys all on about.

[@anglishbookcraft1516]

@@paulryan94 I think you’re the one missing it, sounds just like American speech.

[@nick15684]

@@paulryan94 It sounds quite similar to a standard North American accent, a little different, no doubt, but by far the closest.

[@willjackson6522]

I think a funny thing to take from this is that the claim of many Americans knowing this information that they are speaking the “original English” is bullshit. The American-sounding era of British English was just that, a phase. Just as the German, Welsh and Scottish eras were. So they have just as much validity in saying they are speaking it correctly as Scottish people do. The British English accent never stops changing, the other English-speaking countries are essentially time capsules of what the then-British English accent sounded like.

[@agitatorjr]

@@willjackson6522 nice strawman. Who's saying original English?

[@uthinkaboutthat]

Fascinating. Thank you, Simon.

[@mikekram2199]

This is fascinating and unusually relaxing. Great work 👍