The Norman Conquest of England and the Norman-French element in the English vocabulary

Three main periods in the history of the English language.

We divide the history of the English language into three main periods. They are: Old English, Middle English and New English or Modern English.

1) OLD ENGLISH covers the period from the fifth (5^th) century to the end of the eleventh (11^th) century.

2) MIDDLE ENGLISH lasts from the twelfth (12^th) to the fifteenth (15^th) century.

3) NEW ENGLISH, which means the English of the last six centuries to nowadays.

During the Old English period, most additions to the English vocabulary were based on native English words. Old words were given new meanings. New words were formed by the addition of prefixes or suffixes, or by compounding. Latin was the most influential of foreign languages. The Scandinavians also influenced the language of English during the Old English period.

The Middle English period was marked by a great extension of foreign influence on English. The Norman Conquest in 1066 brought England under French rule. The English language was for a time of secondary importance. French became the language of the upper classes in England. Many English words were borrowed from French. The French language they spoke is now called Anglo-French. The lower classes continued to speak English.

Modern English (or New English) has been a period of wider borrowing. English derives much of its learned vocabulary from Latin and Greek. English has also borrowed words from nearly all the languages of Europe. From the period of Renaissance up to the present, many new words have come into the language to match the new objects and experiences.

The Anglo-Saxon invasion and its influence on the development of the English language.

In the 5th century British Isles were attacked by the Germanic tribes from the Continent. The Jutes, the Saxons and the Angles began to migrate to Britain. It took more than a hundred and fifty years for them to conquer the country.

When the Anglo-Saxon tribes came to Britain they brought their dialects. They now refer to as Old English. They formed the foundation for the complete development of Modern English. The Anglo-Saxon element is still at the core of the language.

For example: go, food, sheep, sun, north, man, long, and so on.

But a number of Anglo-Saxon words were lost. For instance, names of weapons no longer used, garments no longer worn, customs no longer practised, etc.

The Norman Conquest of England and the Norman-French element in the English vocabulary

The conquest of England by the Normans began in 1066 with the battle at Hastings. The English fought against the Normans. The conquest was completed in 1071.

What did the Norman Conquest do to England? It gave England French kings and nobles. The Normans also brought with them the French language. After the Norman Conquest there were three languages in England. There was Latin, the language of Church and all learned men, and the kings.

Then there was French, the language of the kings and nobles who spoke and wrote it.

Finally, there was the English language, the language of the masses. Some men knew all three languages, many knew two. But most of the people knew only one. The poor people, the peasants, understood only English.

French borrowings are: justice, peace, service, chair, prince, colour, palace, etc..