The French Language in England

Rollo(Göngu-Hrólfur)The Normans

Williamthe Conqueror

1066

The main linguistic effects of the Norman invasion

• Secular and religious authorities became French

• Old English spelling traditions were lost• English came to be written as it was

spoken• Dialectal differences appeared

The main linguistic effects of the Norman invasion

The changes that had occurred since the Norse invasions, now appeared for the first time in the witten language

1066-1200 1200-1300 1300-1400

1066-1200 1200-1300 1300-1400

The French Language in England 1066-1200

• Norman French is the native language of the nobility.

• Probably not a great deal of bilingualism.

• Small numbers of French loans enter English.

1066-1200 1200-1300 1300-1400

• 1204 Loss of Normandy.• French is the cultivated, prestige language.• Norman French loses prestige and the nobility

begin to look to Paris for their norm.

The French Language in England 1200-1300

Difference between Norman French and Central (Parisian) French

NORMAN FRENCH• retained k

cattle castle carpenter cauldron carry catch

• retained g

garden gaol

PARISIAN FRENCH• k has become

chattels chair charity chief change

chase

• g has become

joy jest jail

in some environments

in some environments

g survives only in spelling

Difference between Norman French and Central (Parisian) French

NORMAN FRENCH• is retained in

catch

• w in Germanic loanwords

while ward(en) William

war wasp

PARISIAN FRENCH• has become s in

chase

• w becomes g(w)

guile gardian Guy

(guerre, guêpe)

• 1204 Loss of Normandy.• French is the cultivated, prestige language.• Norman French loses prestige and the nobility

begin to look to Paris for their norm.• There is a diglossic situation, with French the

high-prestige, English the low-prestige variety.

The French Language in England 1200-1300

Diglossia

Prestige hus mushaus maus

EnryHenry

Examples from Modern English:

ArthurHarthur

Diglossia

Prestige hewcolour

neatbeef

stenchscent

athlingprince

Examples from Middle English:

• 1204 Loss of Normandy.• French is the cultivated, prestige language.• Norman French loses prestige and the nobility

begin to look to Paris for their norm.• There is a diglossic situation, with French the

high-prestige, English the low-prestige variety.• Large numbers of French loans enter English

The French Language in England 1200-1300

1066-1200 1200-1300 1300-1400

• English becomes the dominant language, but French remains dominant in literature and at the court.

• Increasing evidence of imperfect knowledge of French amongst the nobility.

• Although the knowledge of French is waning, its linguistic prestige can be seen by still increasing numbers of French loans in English.

The French Language in England 1300-1400

• 1334-1453 The Hundred Years' War with France. • 1348-9 The Black Death. 30% mortality. Labour

shortage, wage rises, increasing importance of the English-speaking classes

• 1386 English accepted in the courts ('Statute of Pleading')

• Two major English poets at the end of the 14th century: – Gower writes mostly in French (but composes one long work

Confessio amantis, in English) – Chaucer writes almost entirely in English.

• Evidence of private letters: – 1350: French is the rule. – After 1400: English becomes common. – After 1450: English is the rule.

The French Language in England 1300-1400Factors contributing to the decline of French:

Jeo prie a la Benoit Trinite que vous ottroie bone vie ove tresentier sauntee a treslonge durre, and sende yowe sone to ows in helþ and prosperitee for, in god fey, I hope to Al Mighty God that, yef ye come youre owne persone, ye schulle have the victorie of alle your enemyes. And for salvation of oure Schire and Marches al aboute, treste ye nought to no Leutenaunt.Escript a Hereford, en tresgraunte haste, a trois de la clocke apres noone, le tierce jour de Septembre.

Richard Winston, Dean of Windsor, to the King 1403Baugh fn 195 p. 151

Baugh: 1000 French words at random

before-1050 21051-1000 01151-1150 21151-1200 71201-1250 351251-1300 991301-1350 1081351-1400 1981401-1450 741451-1500 901501-1550 621551-1600 95

(statistics in footnote to §133, p. 178 5th edn)

NB first recorded occurence in a written text

status of French

Baugh: 1000 French words

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