Answer: Though the Middle English version contains many words that are no longer in use, it also contains words that are the same or similar enough to allow a modern reader to understand their meaning.
Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1343-1400) is known as the Father of English literature, and the greatest poet of the Middle Ages. He is best-known today as the author of The Canterbury Tales.
Chaucer contributed to the legitimization of the literary use of Middle English, at a time when the literary languages of England were French and Latin. Middle English refers to the English language that was spoken roughly after the Norman Conquest (1066) and until the late 15th century. The Canterbury Tales are written in Middle English. Therefore, it contains many words that are no longer in use. Nevertheless, the language is similar enough that modern English speakers can still understand the meaning of most of the text.