: Re: How do I write dialogue to evoke a historical setting? I want to write a novel set in the 12th century. I can learn about the platform for the story, like city life and culture of people

@Chiappetta298

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Cultural and location has a big impact on language. In Greece in the 12th century they definitely were not speaking English, which is what I assume you are writing in. If you want to capture the English style at this time from 1100 to 1300 is the period of Middle English. This is the period where you see the dropping from the various forms of ‘the’ and Old English word endings such as ‘es’ are tapering off and becoming more condensed and clear. I think if you really want to capture the tone of that century in dialogue you’ll have to put some research into Middle English. The Oxford English dictionary has a very detailed explanation and section on Middle English and explains the cultures that impacted the style at the time if you want to start there.

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