Status Updates From Der Urknall unserer Sprache

“Modern English speakers can understand the Middle English of Shakespeare, who wrote in the 16th century, but not the Old English of Beowulf.” please,are you trying to hurt my feelings?shakespeare’s writing is not in middle english, which was already becoming early *modern english* (what he actually used) by the late 15th century. can we please get basic terms correct in a book about language history?

Super fascinating how scientists can form ideas about the descendant Indo-European language families (whether they were farmers, horseriders etc.) dependent on where the root word comes from for specific equipment.