2. Toward the end of
the Old English
period an event
occurred that had
greater effect on the
English language
than any other in the
course of its history.
This event was the
Norman Conquest in
1066.
3. The Origin of Normandy
It derives its
name from the
bands of
Nothmen who
settled there
in the ninth
and thenth
centuries.
At the same
time similar
bands were
settling in the
north and east
of England.
4. The year 1066
Edward becomes king of England
•
Godwin, earl of the west saxon earldom
•
becomes Edwards advisor
Harold ,son of Godwin becomes earl
•
after his father death
King Edward dies childless and Harold
•
becomes king
William,Duke of Normandy and second
•
cousin of the former king oposes Edward
5. The year 1066
•In September William landed at Pevensey,I n the
south coast of England
•His landing was unopposed. King Harold was
occupied in the north of England meeting an
invasion by the king of Norway, another claimant
to the throne.
•Hardly had Harold triumphed over the invaders
when word reached him of Williams landing
•Harold was killed during the battle
•The English capitulated and on Christmas Day
1066, William was crowned king of England
6. The Norman Settlement
One of the most important of these
consequences was the
introduction of a new nobility.
For several generations after the
conquest the important positions
and the great states were almost
always held by Normans or men of
foreign blood.
7. The Use of French by the Upper
Class
For 200 years after the Norman
Conquest , French remained the
language of ordinary intercourse
among the upper classes in England.
At first tghose who spoke French were
those of Norman origin, but soon
through intermarriage and association
with the ruling class many people of
English extraction must have found it
to their advantage to learn the new
language.
8. Circumstances Promoting the
Continued Use of French
The most important factor in the
continued use of French by the
English upper class untill the
beginning of the 13th century was
the close connection that existed
through all these years between
England and the continent.
9. The Attitude toward English
In the period which we are at the
moment concerned-the period up
to 1200-the attitude of the king
and the upper classes toward the
English language may be
characterized as one of simple
indifference. They did not
cultivate English-which is not the
same as saying they had no
acquaintance of with it-because
their activities in England did not
necessitate it and their constant
concern with continental affairs
made French for them much
more useful.
10. French Literature at the English
court.
It is interesting to find a considerable
body ofFrench literature being
produced in England from the
beginning of the twelfth century
,addressed to English patrons and
directed toward meeting their special
tastes and interests.
Philippe de Thaun wrote his Bestiary
, a poem describing rather fancifully
the nature of various animals and
adding to each description a moral
still more fanciful. Gaimar wrote his
History of the English , likewise in
French verse. At the same time
Samson de Nanteuli devoted 11,000
lines of verse to the proverbs of
Salomon. In the reign of Henry II
.Wace wrote his celebrated Roman
the Brut.
11. Fusion of the two peoples.
This early fusion of French and
English in England is quite clear
from a variety of evidences. It is
evident in the marriage of Normans
to English women, as when Robert
d’Oily further enriched himself by
marrying Eadgyth, the daughter of a
great English landowner. It is
evident from the way in which the
English gave their support to their
rulers an Norman prelates, as when
William II and Henry I drove off
foreign invaders with armies made
up almost wholly of English troops
or when Anselm and Becket found
their staunchest supporters among
the English.
12. The Diffusion of French and
English
French was the language of
the upper classes and the
court , English the speech of
the mass of the people. Can
we however., define the
position of the two languages
more specifically? The
question to be asked is really
twofold: (1) When and how
did the upper class generally
learn English? (2) How far in
the social scale was a
knowledge of French at all
general?.
13. Knowledge of English among
the upper class.
Knowledge of English was not
uncommon at the end of this
century among those who
habitually used French: that
among churchmen and men of
education it was even to be
expected; and that among those
whose activities brought them into
contact with both upper and lower
classes the ability to speak both
languages was quite general.
14. Knowledge of French among the
middle class.
Among the knightly class
French seems to have been
cultivated even when the
mother tongue was English.
Next to the knights the
inhabitants of towns probably
contained the largest number of
those among the middle class
who knew French. In many
towns, especially in important
trading centers, men with
Norman names were the most
prominent burgesses and
probably constituted a majority
of the merchant class.
15. Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Baugh, A. C. & Cable T. (2002). The Norman Conquest and the Subjection of
English. En Baugh, A. C. & Cable T. (5th Edition) History of the English
Language. (108-126). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
