Discuss the effect of Norman
Conquest on English language.
Ans. In the year 1066
William, the Duke of Norman, invaded and conquered England. With this conquest
a period of English language comes to an end—old English period. From 1066
Middle English period may be said to have begun. The Normans were
French-speaking people and imposed their language on England. It is thus turned
out that upper class and court used French while lower class used English. The
Norman dominated the church and education.
An effect of the Norman
conquest has been to give the language a sort of bilingual quality with two
words—One of Saxon and other of French origin, to express roughly the same
meaning. Thus, we have foe and enemy, friendship and amity, freedom and
liberty, bold and courageous motherhood and maternity, unlikely and improbable
etc. It has resulted in greatly increasing the English vocabulary.
Even at that time most
of the books were written in Latin. By the 13th century there were virtually
three languages in use side by side. English for the people, French for the
aristocrats, Latin for the scholars. People at first learn only such French
words as were as necessary for their relations with their Norman ruler. The
process of administration led to the use of French. The ideas and institutions
of the Normans caused such change in English vocabulary that even many everyday
things were known by French words. After
the severing of links with Normandy, the French used in England, began to fuse
with English.
The changes in English
grammar that took place after the Norman conquest was not directly the result
of contact with the language of the Normans. The decay of inflections and the
confusion of forms that constitute the significant development of Middle
English grammar are the result of Norman Conquest. It brought about favourable
conditions to such changes. By making English the language mainly of the
uneducated people, the Norman conquest made it easier for grammatical changes
to go forward unchecked.
The language had
undergone much simplifications of its inflection because of the Norman
Conquest. But its grammar was still basically English. It has absorbed several
thousands French words. As a consequence, large number of people became
bilingual and then gradually turned from the habitual use of French to the
habitual use of English. English has lost many native words and abandoned its qualities
of word formation. However, the basic elements of vocabulary were still English
with its Teutonic aspects. The Language which the Normans finally adopted was
English. Although it was in many ways different from the Language of king
Alfred. The effect of Norman Conquest was to make English less primitive and
vulgar and the language was in the process of finally becoming modern language.
French influence was
direct and conspicuous on the vocabulary. In fact, there is nothing comparable
to such a great transference of words in the previous or subsequent history of
language. In the centuries following Norman Conquest, a lot of French words
entered into English. People spoke two different languages. In church lot of
French words entered such as, theology, confession, baptism, friar, temptation,
chapter, salvation, mercy etc. In politics and administrations many words come
into English—state, reign, parliament, major, chancellor, duke etc. French was
so long the language of the law courts that the greater parts of English legal
vocabulary came from the Norman conquest. The following are some of the
instances— justice, attorney, summon, warrant etc. The control of the legal
vocabulary was in the hand of the French. The following words are also French
in Origin—Guard, Banner, lieutenant, Chieftain etc. Such words are also from
French—garment, gown, button, Petticoat, blue, jewel. English table also Owes
much to French word-feast, mess, mutton, salmon, pork etc.
The Normans came to
England not as oppressors but helped in shaping English language as it is
today. For England the Norman conquest was a blessings in disguise.
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