TOPIC 42. THE NORMAN CONQUEST.

INFLUENCE OF FRENCH ON THE ENGLISH

LANGUAGE. BORROWINGS AND CALQUES

ABSTRACT
1. JUSTIFICATION AND IMPLICATIONS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
2. INTRODUCTION (historical background, linguistic background)
3. THE NORMAN CONQUEST
4. THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FRENCH PERIOD
5. MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD: THE FRENCH INFLUENCE
6. LINGUISTIC CHANGES DURING THE PERIOD
7. BORROWINGS AND CALQUES
8. CONCLUSION
9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

ABSTRACT

This topic deals with the origins of the English language, tracing back to the end of the Roman
Empire (influence of Latin) and leading to the Norman Conquest and the period of French- or better
said, Norman influence. We will focus more precisely on the influence of this French ruling into the
language during that period, then how French widespread in the English through borrowings and
calques / loan words. Finally, we will have a look at how we can make use of this link with the
French language within the classroom.

1. JUSTIFICATION AND IMPLICATIONS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

The relevance of this topic and the didactic implications in our teaching practice can be supported
with our current legal background.
Chapter III LOMCE, Art.23:
-i) students “are able to understand and express themselves in one or more foreign
languages in a suitable way”
-j) “to know, value and respect on one´s and other´s culture and history”
Chapter IV, Bachillerato, Art.33:
-f) “express with fluency and correction in one or more foreign languages”
-d) “reinforce reading habits as means of personal development”
-h) “know and value the realities of contemporary world and its historical
background”
English Language Curriculum according to Royal Decree 1005/2014:
Linguistic competence, social and civil competencies, cultural expression and conscience.
This topic seems ideal to unify criteria with other cross curricular areas (history, geography or
Universal Literature) and work on CLIL in bilingual section.

This type of knowledge, graded and revised in our syllabus, can teach them not only to develop
productive and receptive processes but also knowing other cultures and getting involved in the
multicultural and globalised world we all are immersed nowadays.

2. INTRODUCTION. Historical Background. Linguistic Background

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

-ROMAN BRITAIN: Roman troops left the island around 410-left unprotected, fragile civilisation.
-6th cent (DARK AGES): Anglo-Saxon period, small independent kingdoms. Vikings from
Norway, Sweden and Denmark attempting to conquer the island.
-Last Anglo-Saxon king perished in the field of battle and after some turmoil, William Duke of
Normandy became king-> important political, economic, religious and linguistic variations.
-Government and rulers became literate and we find the 1st written historical reports:
Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, The Domesday
Book.
TOPIC 42. THE NORMAN CONQUEST. INFLUENCE OF FRENCH ON THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE. BORROWINGS AND CALQUES

LINGUISTIC BACKGROUND

We don’t know exactly when or where the English was conformed. Mixture of:
CELTIC LANGUAGE ANGLO-SAXON GERMANIC DIALECTS

Old English: -strong and weak verbs

-adj and pronouns were inflected
-definite article the could be masc, fem and neuter
-Borrowings of basic elements of syntax and new terms were adopted: demonstration of the
adaptability of English speakers.

3. THE NORMAN CONQUEST

24 April 1066 a comet appeared in the sky (Halley) and to men at that time it presaged dramatic
events on Earth -> the last Anglo-Saxon king perished in the field of battle.
After some turmoil and different claimants for the throne, finally William, Duke of Normandy, was
crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
-New nobility made up of: Normans, French and Flemings // Britons= status of subject people.
-King created a new aristocracy loyal to him: feudal system, castles and knights.
-New Norman landowners and Britons were reduced to subject people, labouring the land.
-New ruling class used French and Latin and were first loyal to Normandy, not to the land they had
conquered.
-England became closely linked to the continent.
-Most important consequences of the Conquest:
Introduction of new nobility, important positions for the Normans / Old English nobility was wiped out.

Normans important positions of the church and government.

Settlement of Norman troops, merchants and craftsmen.

Close connection between England and Normandy (possessions on the continent).

Introduction of the French language and many variations in language use.

4. INTRODUCTION OF THE FRENCH PERIOD

Normans: were vikings who had settled in Northern France 200 years before. They gave name to
the province of Normandy (abandoned their previous language and became French in speech).
The variety of French they spoke was a rural dialect: Anglo-Norman. No king of England spoke
English for the next 3 centuries.

Norman society in England: the English laboured in English and the French ate in French.
French speaking aristocracy English speaking peasantry

court, government, fashion, high living laboured the land and animals. English language for
the masses and utilitarian purposes.
TOPIC 42. THE NORMAN CONQUEST. INFLUENCE OF FRENCH ON THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE. BORROWINGS AND CALQUES

5. MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD: THE FRENCH INFLUENCE

The centuries after the Norman Conquest witnessed enormous changes in the English language.

Middle English period, 3 main changes:

1. Inflectional system of Old English broke down (replaced by same system as nowadays)
2. Vocabulary changed enormously: borrowings from Latin and French and loanwords.

3. Trilingualism: English, French and Latin, very common in world of business and professions.

We can distinguish 3 main stages within Middle English period:

1. The arising of French language: first initial period. Replacing of the higher classes and
positions by Norman people: politics, literature and high social life. Many terms were adopted
and official documents were translated into French.

1. The ascendance of the English: English survived, yet less inflected so easier. Grammatical
changes and verbs gradually regularised (only some survived such as was/were).
Isolated from the rest of Europe because of the loss of Normandy to the French crown, the
Norman rulers became to see themselves as Englishmen. Intermarriage and children learnt
French+English.

3. The consolidation of the English language: by the 1400, court documents were written in
French although thought out in English. High class children are sent to Paris to learn French
because the one spoken in England was “harsh and too guttural”.
Norman aristocrats, being mocked because of their French accent, began to take an increasing
pride in English. So English triumphed at last -> simpler in grammar and richer in vocabulary
thanks to French.

6. LINGUISTIC CHANGES DURING THE PERIOD. Grammatical changes and new vocabul.

GRAMMATICAL CHANGES:

1. Loss of inflections.
2. The Germanic form of plurals (house-housen) was displaced by the French method of adding
an -s (house-houses). Few words retained the German form: men, feet, teeth, children.
3. French also affected the spelling so de “cw” sound came to be written as “qu” (cween-queen).

NEW VOCABULARY:

It accounts for the greatest number of inclusions within the English language, either from
borrowings or calques. Many Greek words-Latin words-French words-English words.

We can mainly classify these new words into general groups:

TOPIC 42. THE NORMAN CONQUEST. INFLUENCE OF FRENCH ON THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE. BORROWINGS AND CALQUES

GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE WORDS govern, crown, state, parliament, empire

public, liberty, rebel, tailor, exile

office, chamberlain, minister, mayor

noble, nobility, duchess, duke, prince, baron

sir, madam, mistress, slave, servant

ECCLESIASTIC WORDS. French was the usual religion, confession, passion, prayer, communion

language in monasteries and religious houses. clergy, cardinal, clerk, pastor, friar

crucifix, image, incense, hermitage

creator, trinity, sacrilege, devotion, saint, miracle,

salvation, faith, absolution, immortality

verbs: preach, confess, adore, sacrifice, convert

LEGAL TERMS. French was the official language justice, defendant, prison, sentence, complaint,
for legal documents and court, so the English legal crime, punishment, fraud, adultery, just, culpable

vocabulary comes mainly from French, verbs: accuse, blame, arrest, pardon, judge

MILITARY TERMS: due to war during the Middle army, navy, peace, battle, enemy, captain, sergeant,
Ages, higher ranks of Norman origin and English arm, defend
often fought in France.

FAMILIAR WORDS: FASHION, MEALS AND fashion, dress, collar, coat, robe, button, plume

SOCIAL LIFE (upper classes were Norman) blue, scarlet, orange, ruby, diamond, turquoise,
crystal, coral, emerald

dinner, supper, taste, biscuit, cream, olives

salmon, oyster, sardine, beef, mutton, pork, squirrel

grape, orange, lemon, cherry

spice, herb, vinegar, curtain, chair, lamp, lantern

wardrobe, closet, towel, dance, melody, music

ART, LEARNING AND MEDICINE: cultural and art, painting, sculpture, beauty, colour, figure

intellectual interests of the ruling class cathedral, palace, mansion, cellar, chimney

literature, poet, tragedy, comedy, prose, grammar

anatomy, stomach, surgeon, arsenic

7. BORROWINGS AND CALQUES

If we follow the principles of economy in language use, the best way to make new words is by
changing or adoption existing ones. As we have already seen in previous sections, English shows
a significant willingness in taking words from many different places.

-BORROWINGS: may introduce either a new content together with a corresponding expression or
just a new expression.
-CALQUES OR LOAN TRANSLATIONS: They are words or phrases borrowed from another
language by literal, word-for-word.
Adam´s Apple calques Pomme d´Adam // by heart calques par coeur.
It is important to note that borrowings may lead to current misunderstanding when dealing with
languages -> FALSE FRIENDS. They may share a common originally root but evolved in a
different way (i.e. platform (from a shoe is the same as plataforma) or platform from a train (anden)
Wide number of synonyms in English, which can be traced back to other languages of influence,
such as:

ENGLISH LATIN FRENCH

ask interrogate question

time age epoch

TOPIC 42. THE NORMAN CONQUEST. INFLUENCE OF FRENCH ON THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE. BORROWINGS AND CALQUES

8. CONCLUSION

In this unit we have dealt with the influence of the French language into English.
-General historical and linguistic review of this process during the Middle Ages.
-Spanish speakers find this influence of French of great help when acquiring vocabulary.
-Students find it much easier to learn a language if there is a resemblance between the native and
the foreign language. It gives them more confidence and helps them use vocabulary.
-Explain the risk of false friends, practice the most frequent ones through exercises.

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

-Baugh. A. and Cable, T. A History of the English Language. Prentice- Hall Editions, 1993
-Bauer, L. English Word Formation. Cambridge University Press, 1983.
-Bryson, B. Mother Tongue. Penguin Books, 1990.
-Morgan, K.O. (Ed) The Oxford History of Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.