What was English like 1700?

Cities were dirty, noisy, and overcrowded. London had about 600,000 people around 1700 and almost a million residents in 1800. The rich, only a tiny minority of the population, lived luxuriously in lavish, elegant mansions and country houses, which they furnished with comfortable, upholstered furniture.

Could you understand English in the 1700s?

Yes, with some big caveats. English grammar, spelling, and pronunciation have remained pretty steady since the 1700s. You have no problem reading the original text of the Declaration of Independence, for example. Any difference is these areas would be pretty minor and unlikely to prevent mutual understanding.

What language did the British speak in the 1700s?

Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-Norman
Era unknown, but significantly contributed to Middle English; used in English law until c. 17th century
Language family Indo-European Italic Romance Western Gallo-Romance Oïl Norman Anglo-Norman
Early form Old Norman
Language codes

What was the original British accent?

At first, English speakers in the colonies and England used a rhotic accent. But after the Revolutionary War, upper-class and upper-middle-class citizens in England began using non-rhotic speech as a way to show their social status.