How far back in time can I go while still understanding the version of English used at that point?

by FourthLife
iwinagin

Thanks for asking. This is a very popular question with many great answers in the FAQ

The general agreement seems to be that communication would get gradually more difficult until finally somewhere between 1350 and 1450 you probably wouldn't be able to effectively communicate.

gnorrn

Are you referring to spoken or written English? You could go back considerably further with the written language.