FeliCya

Natsu is from 400yrs in the past, right? Overtime, the language changes, even if it's the same tongue, it's sounds different and is written differently over time. Like, take English for example. What we speak today is Modern English, but 400 years ago, would have been in the time of Shakespeare, where they would have spoken Middle/Early Modern English... or around there.

So like, remember when Erza had to teach Natsu how to spell? I don't think Natsu actually gained much from that, but that's for another time, because Natsu didn't know how to spell or read, but Igneel had taught him. I think he was right, Igneel HAD taught him how to spell, but being sent 400 years into the future and spelling had changed.

Overtime, Natsu (and the other Dragon Slayers 1st and 3rd gen) get adjusted to the modern tongue, but slip up every once in a while. And you know how when people learn a new language they have innate errors from when they first learned the language or from their first language/native language that if not addressed early on just stay like that? So Natsu must have a hard time reading things because of this... for the other dragon slayers their language error wasn't as bad as Natsu's. Wendy, Sting and Rogue were younger and had obviously not created those habits, and Gajeel just happened to adjust better then Natsu, I mean, Gajeel IS smarter than Natsu...

Which made me start thinking... Natsu essentially would have been speaking "Shakespeare" when he was first found by Makarov. And everyone would have to piece together what he was saying, lol.

Get in a fight with Gray, and be like:

Natsu: Thou elf-skinned moldwarp, put up thine hands! Gray: Shut up, idiot!

Or like, when Gajeel first joins the guild, and something goes wrong, and he curses in the old tongue, nobody understands except Natsu.

Gajeel: *curses in old tongue* Natsu: *from across the room* You cankerblossom!

Lucy is intrigued by Natsu's ability to naturally read the script when they do that theatre job request, and secretly thinks he must be a theatre-nerd... Low-key she becomes disappointed when it's revealed he's from 400 years in the past. Lol.

Lucy and the others think Natsu copies Happy, but in reality, Happy is copying Natsu. You know, when Happy goes "Aye, sir!"

A fun fact I looked up, actually: One of the ways to say "yes" in middle/early modern english is "aye."