Quote Originally Posted by Rannie View Post
the moorish tongue gave me a headache the first time i read it...
...that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Moor·ish (adj.)
1. Of or relating to the Moors or their culture.
2. Of, relating to, or being a style of Spanish architecture of the 8th to the 16th century, characterized by the horseshoe arch and ornate decoration.

Wuthering Heights was set in the Yorkshire Moors, but as far as I can remember was written in very good English (it's been 20 years, so forgive me). I guess there might have been some Yorkshire dialect..?

The Canterbury Tales on the other hand, I remember having to translate from Middle English into something I understood before I could make sense of them. I hated the chore of that, but then I didn't become a translator as my career, so I can see why a certain someone may want to pay homage to them!