Effect of the Norman Conquest on the linguistic situation

The Norman Conquerors of England had originally come from Scandinavia. First they had seized the valley of the Seine and settled in what is known as Normandy. They were swiftly assimilated by the French and in the 11th c. came to Britain as French speakers. Their tongue in Britain is often referred to as “Anglo-French” or “Anglo-Norman”, but may just as well be called French. The most important consequence of Norman domination in Britain is to be seen in the wide use of the French language in many spheres of life. For almost three hundred years French was the official language of administration: it was the language of the king’s court, the church, the army and others. The intellectual life, literature and education were in the hands of French-speaking people. For all that, England never stopped being an English-speaking country. The bulk of the population spoke their own tongue and looked upon French as foreign and hostile. At first two languages existed side by side without mingling. Then, slowly and quietly, they began to penetrate each other. The three hundred years of the domination of French affected English more than any other foreign influence before or after. The early French borrowings reflect accurately the spheres of Norman influence upon English life; later borrowings can be attributed to the continued cultural, economic and political contacts between the countries.

33. National EL & London dialect.

In the 14^th century there developed the process of the rise of the national language. This language was based on the London dialect. Its cause was the great shift in social structure which characterized the English that period. It was the time when new elements made themselves felt inside the feudal society. These elements were the town merchants, who were the bearers of a new social structure, which was to replace feudalism. Growth of commerce, industry, development of many circulations. In the 14^th century there ere 3 main groups of dialects in English: northern (from Northumbrian), midland (west- and east-, from Mercian), southern (Kentish, West-Saxon, East-Saxon). The dialects differed from each other by essential phonetic and morphological features. These differences corresponded to the territorial position among the dialect belonged to the London dialect. After the Norman conquest London became the capital of England. It lays on the boundary between the midland and the southern dialect. In 13^th century it already showed a mixture of midland and southern elements. To the end of the 14^th century London dialect became influential in other parts o the country. That was to the growth of its importance as economical and political center. London’s geographical position was extremely favorable for the quick growth of its political importance and its role as the birthplace of a national language. Many roads along which England in trade was conducted crossed in London. Thanks to the great depth of the Thames sea ships could be easily reach London and it became the center of national trade. London’s role as a trade center attracted people from every part of the country and that’s why elements of other dialects penetrated into London English dialect. Thus, the London dialect, which became the base of the national language, was a complex formation, which reflected different influences connected with the social and political life of that period. It contain alongside east midland, south-eastern elements and partially south-western elements. The London dialects of those centuries is represented by several important documents: the proclamation of Henry III, poems by Adam Devy, Geoffrey Chauser.