Englisches Seminar
Universität zu Köln

Proseminar:
The English Lexicon
Wintersemester 2006/ 2007
2. April 2007

The French Influence on the English Language
after the Norman Conquest in 1066

Laura Morris

Englisch und Französisch für das Lehramt an Gesamtschulen und Gymnasien
2. Fachsemester

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 3

2 1 Historical Overview 4
2.1 1.1 Norman Conquest 4

3 Consequences 5
3.1 Norman Settlement 5
3.1.1 Reestablishment of English 6

4 Semantic Change 8
4.1 Assimilation 8
4.2 Synonyms 9
4.2.1 Example: Animals 10
4.2.2 Example: Cordial and hearty 10
4.3 Doublets 11

5 Morphology 12
5.1 Nouns/ Adjectives 12
5.2 Verbs 13
5.3 Hybrids 14

6 Phonology 16
6.1 Consonants 16
6.2 Vowels 17
6.3 Diphthongs 19
6.3.1 The French dipthongs: /oi/ and /ui/ 20
6.4 Change of Stress 20

7 Conclusion 23

8 Bibliography 25

1 Introduction

The term-paper in hand will deal with the French influence on Middle English after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and will concentrate on the time after 1250 when most of the French words were introduced.

This period is one of the most important stages in the development of the English language. "It marks the transition between English as a typologically ′Old Germanic′ language and English of the type familiar to us." (Lass 1992:23). The Norman Conquest in 1066 and hence the French influence play a major role in this development . More clearly, French considerably influenced the vocabulary, the morphology and the phonolgy of the English language.

These three points will be the main point of discussion in this term-paper. They have been ordered in respect of their degree of influence on the English language, starting with the most important one. However, in order to be able to understand the changes in Middle English, it is undispensable to know about the historical events namely the Norman Conquest which led to these changes. Hence, this will be the first point of discussion.

2 1 Historical Overview

2.1 1.1 Norman Conquest

When the English king, Edward the Confessor, died without having any children, England faced the problem of who to make the new king. On the one hand, there was Edward′s cousin William, the Duke of Normandy, whom Edward had promised to be his successor. On the other hand, there was Harold, an earl and advisor to Edward. Although Harold had sworn an oath not to question the position of the Duke of Normandy, it was he who was finally made the new king. Yet, William did not give up without fighting for his rights. Thus, in 1066, he and his troops landed in England and attacked Harold, who was preparing himself for an attack by the King of Norway and was, therefore, very weak. (Algeo/ Pyles 1982:137) Harold was killed in the battle of Hastings and without a king and with William ravaging the South of England, England was finally defeated and William the Conqueror became the new King of England. (Baugh/ Cable 2002:111/112)

3 Consequences

3.1 Norman Settlement

In England, the Normans did not ban the native inhabitants, but took over the English aristocracy and other important positions. The example of one Saxon being an Earl among 12 others of Norman origin by 1072 serves to underline this thesis. The same happended to English bishops and abbots who were gradually replaced. (Hughes 2000:110) Most of the native English people belonged to the lower class and besides, had to compete with Norman merchants and craftsmen. In conclusion, one can quote the words of Baugh and Cable, stating:

It is quite impossible to say how many Normans and French people settled in England in the century and a half following the Norman Conquest, but [...] their influence was out of all proportion to their number. (Baugh/ Cable 2002:114)

These developments also had consequences for the language. French or more clearly, Norman French "became the new language of power and prestige" as the Normans continued to use their own language. (Hughes 2000:110) They also held strong connections with France. Often, the ruling class still had property on the continent so that they travelled in between the two countries. Even the king spend a considerable amount of time in France. (Baugh/ Cable 2002:116) One can sum it up by saying that the French influence would have been less, if the constant contact between France and England had not been maintained. (Jespersen 1982:79) In addition to that, French was also the language of power all over Europe. It was considered as a superior language to English as plays and poetry were written in this language. (Sheard 1954:200/ 201) In contrast to that, English was only the oral language of the lower classes and was therefore regarded as inferior. (Baugh/ Clable 2002:117). Neither the French ruling class, nor the English people were able to speak the other language perfectly. "[T]he more general social structure of the Norman settlement meant that equal competence in both languages was rare." (Burnley 1992:424)

[....]