"Languages of all countries evolve constantly, even English changes rapidly, Elizabethan documents only 500 years old are very difficult to read and understand. I have little doubt that if mankind survives another 500 years the people of that time will be looking at our writings and scratching their head."

     I believe this is indeed true. What is truly scary is to just listen to the conversation of the so-called "X Generation" here in the USA. The old expression "butchering the King's English" hardly applies. What is more frightening is that these are the people who write the spell and grammar check most everyone relies upon in their writing today!
     It is often stated that English is one of the more difficult languages to learn. If this is true, and I suspect it is, I believe it to be due to the fact that English is the result of the blending of several languages over the centuries. We have a word for everything and in many cases, multiples uses for the same word. I am sur ethis confuses the heck out the Indians and "stanis we have deal with on the phone regularly. Still I would rather call an armored, tracked battle machine a "tank" than a Panzerkampfwagen!

The word gotten is in the Nuttalls Standard Dictionary of the English Language published by Warne in 1959 and at the end of the book is the pronunciation of personal names.
Farquharson is listed as far-kwer-sn: far-ker-sn.
Eales is not listed and unfortunatly niether is Winder as in Highwall.

When I was going to evening classes years ago in an effort to learn German I found it difficult as there didn't seem to be enough words to describe what I wanted to say or to be precise about something, although they did tell the time like the English, five and twenty past or to the hour where as in NZ or Australia if you say that instead of twenty five past or to the hour you are looked apon as weird or afflicted.