I can read Latin..which my language came out of...does that count???
What is the oldest text you can read in your language?
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In my native language Bakûmar-Sik from the mountainous regious of Bhutan has a rich literary history. I can read the original Baâlak texts which were written in the 9th century. Some of the charachters are different but they can easily be adapted to and the language sounds stupid but it is still quite something.
Chinese people can read quite ancient documents because the changes of spoken language have nothing to do with the written one. The main problem is that the ancient texts are without punctuation.
Icelandic has changed so little that Icelanders can read Icelandic texts that were written over 1000 years ago. It would be the equivalent of English-speakers being able to understand Beowulf perfectly well.
I find that a useful way of responding to this question in English is to look at different versions of the Lord's Prayer which have been written down through time — although bearing in mind that it's rather literary language. Here are some examples:
Modern English in 2006 — a version I made up just now:
Our Father in Heaven,
Let your holy name be known.
Let your kingdom come,
And let your will be done,
On Earth as in Heaven.
Give us the food we need for today,
And forgive us from our wrongdoings,
As we forgive those who have done wrong to us.
Do not lead us into trial,
But save us from evil.
(For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
For ever and ever.)
Early Modern English from about 400 years ago — this version is still widely used in churches today and should be understandable to most educated English speakers:
Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
(For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever.)
Middle English from about 650 years ago — still recognisably English, but probably few people would be able to understand much of it. I can read it though, because I've love Chaucer and have thus had some practice with reading texts of this age:
Oure fadir þat art in heuenes
Halwid be þi name;
Þi reume or kyngdom come to be.
Be þi wille don
In herþe as it is doun in heuene.
Yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred.
And foryeue to us oure dettis þat is oure synnys
As we foryeuen to oure dettouris þat is to men þat han synned in us.
And lede us not into temptacion
But delyuere us from euyl.
Old English from about 1000 years ago — mostly unrecognisable:
Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum
Si þin nama gehalgod
Tobecume þin rice
Gewurþe þin willa
On eorðan swa swa on heofonum
Urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg
And forgyf us ure gyltas
Swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
And ne gelæd þu us on costnunge
Ac alys us of yfele soþlice.
Modern English in 2006 — a version I made up just now:
Our Father in Heaven,
Let your holy name be known.
Let your kingdom come,
And let your will be done,
On Earth as in Heaven.
Give us the food we need for today,
And forgive us from our wrongdoings,
As we forgive those who have done wrong to us.
Do not lead us into trial,
But save us from evil.
(For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
For ever and ever.)
Early Modern English from about 400 years ago — this version is still widely used in churches today and should be understandable to most educated English speakers:
Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
(For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever.)
Middle English from about 650 years ago — still recognisably English, but probably few people would be able to understand much of it. I can read it though, because I've love Chaucer and have thus had some practice with reading texts of this age:
Oure fadir þat art in heuenes
Halwid be þi name;
Þi reume or kyngdom come to be.
Be þi wille don
In herþe as it is doun in heuene.
Yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred.
And foryeue to us oure dettis þat is oure synnys
As we foryeuen to oure dettouris þat is to men þat han synned in us.
And lede us not into temptacion
But delyuere us from euyl.
Old English from about 1000 years ago — mostly unrecognisable:
Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum
Si þin nama gehalgod
Tobecume þin rice
Gewurþe þin willa
On eorðan swa swa on heofonum
Urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg
And forgyf us ure gyltas
Swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
And ne gelæd þu us on costnunge
Ac alys us of yfele soþlice.
As for Chinese language, I think most people with good secondary education can read the books and documents written more than 2000 years ago, which is known as Han Dynasty (since 200 BC).
As for me, I can read some documents written 2300 years ago, because some of them are famous articles and be adopted by Text books of secondary education.
Why?
Because chinese characters have little changes since 200 BC.
As for me, I can read some documents written 2300 years ago, because some of them are famous articles and be adopted by Text books of secondary education.
Why?
Because chinese characters have little changes since 200 BC.
We Occitans can read the old texts of the Trovadors (Troubadours) of the 11th century. The languedocian dialect is the closest to the ancient occitan medieval koinè.
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