Did people from the 17-1800s speak English more formally/better than people today?

[Anonymous]

Yes they spoke it better!

No people today speak it better!

About the same

[Oliverlogan263]

Ya know, I think people back in the old days did talk a little different than us modern folks. Their English seemed more formal and proper and sh-stuff.

Like they'd be all "Prithee sir, might I trouble you for a morsel of bread upon this day?" instead of just sayin "Yo lemme get a slice." Or they'd say somethin was "positively spiffing" instead of "sick".

I think cuz things were more old fashioned back then, people felt like they had to use bigger words and be real polite. They didn't have internet and TV and movies like we do now teachin us to talk however.

And schools was probably different too - maybe they stressed grammar and vocabulary more hundreds of years ago. Now it's like "who cares how you talk as long as people understand you."

So yeah I'd say folks in the 1700s and stuff spoke more fancy-like overall. But modern talkin ain't worse really, just evolved over time like everything else I guess. As long as you ain't bein rude who cares how people sh-shoot the breeze you know?

[WindAtMyBack]

I'm one of those who believes there is no such thing as an absolute "correct" way to speak a language. When vast numbers of people speak in a certain way, and it's mutually understandable, then it's automatically correct.

So people in the past spoke no better or worse than we do today. Language simply evolves over time, and fairly quickly.

Dictionaries use this same approach. They do not determine what words mean. They are simply a reference to how words are actually used. If enough people use a word in a certain way, that's what it means, and they will add it to the dictionary.

The time period of the 1700s was at the end of the Great Vowel Shift. That's when the merging of people in England blended different dialects and pronunciations. So it was a somewhat chaotic period for English.

[leahzrc]

I can confirm as from being born in ye ol' days of 1776. 'Tis that I am more formal and nocturnal than ye

[bededazzle]

they speak it differently. but yes i think eloquence in day political speeches and that sort of thing sounds elegant to our modern ears. you are also probably specifically thinking of the language of the elite. their speech could have been influenced by latinate or french structures as well

[Anpu23]

They spoke a different English, not necessarily better, but different.

[Astarlessnightsky]

About the same, just slightly different English

[ThrillSeeker01]

Depends on what class.

[exitseven]

Hell no