Effect of Norman Occupation on History of English Language

Language is constantly changing, as the English language does. Some events reflected in the history of England display the effect and influence from other languages on the English language. One of these events is the Norman occupation in England, which had severe consequences because the French language inevitably took over English.

Edward the Confessor was the king of England for twenty-four years until he died in 1066. He had no progeny, so the issue was to find a successor: Harold, the son of his principal adviser came to the throne.

However, William the duke of Normandy who was Edward’s second cousin expected to be the successor of the English crown because his cousin had told him that he will succeed him. Nevertheless, he could only access to the throne by force, so he prepared an invasion.

Firstly, William landed in Pevensey while the current king, Harold, was confronting another invasion by the king of Norway, so he did not expect another attack.

Get quality help now

Doctor Jennifer

Verified writer

Proficient in: English Language

5 (893)

“ Thank you so much for accepting my assignment the night before it was due. I look forward to working with you moving forward ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Regardless of that, when the battle started Harold was in a favourable position, but William came up with a stratagem and was able to kill Harold. Consequently, William had won the Battle of Hastings. After his victory, the English Kingdom was disorganized, however, William did not take the English crown until he had burnt and pillaged the southeast of England so the inhabitants of London were in a weak position. On Christmas Day 1066, William was proclaimed king of England.

Now, the Norman settlement in England had begun. The upper class was predominantly by Normans, so they will continue using their native language, French.

For 200 years after the Norman Conquest, they were still using French, although inevitably they learned some English words. English was still the language of the masses, but citizens were interested in learning French for future advantages.

French was imposed as the language of all the legal proceedings and used in the court. Regardless of that, the English language did not disappear because it was still used by lower classes, although some French people started to comprehend it. For instance, the king Henry II did not speak English but he was able to understand it. Hence, it could be said that English and French were coexisting, as a consequence, English adopted some words and forms from the French language. English also survived for a considerable time in some monasteries.

Among the middle classes there were a strong influence of French; in the knightly class, French seems to have been cultivated despite that English was their native language. In the reign of Henry I, an English knight was destined to Normandy to teach French to his son. Normans and English citizens started to get along between them and understand their traditions and there was a lot of marriages between Normans and English women.

At this time, there was literature produced for royal and noble patronage which were written in French, as the History of English by Gaimar for Lady Custance ‘li gentil’, and Roman du Brut wrote by Wade, in the reign of Henry II.

By the year 1202, King John lost Normandy. It began when John married Isabel of Angouleme, despite that she was formally betrothed to Hugh of Lusignan. Consequently, John decided to attack the Lusignans. They appealed for redress to the king of France, Phillip, who saw the situation and summoned John, in 1202, to appear before his court at Paris, answer the charges against him and submit to the judgement of his peers. However, he said that as the king of England he was not subject of jurisdiction of the French court; but Phillip replied that as duke of Normandy he was.

John demanded a safe conduct, to which Phillip offered to grant only on conditions that John could not accept. Hence, on the day of the trial the English king did not appear, so the court declared his territory confiscated according to the feudal law. Phillip proceed to the invasion of Normandy and the victories led him to the control of the greater part of the duchy.

John lost his popularity by the news of Arthur’s murder, John’s nephew and captive, who was married to Phillip’s daughter. In 1204, Rouen surrendered and Normandy lost the English crown. Therefore, this episode affected the English language, as in other respects as well. The upper class were interested in looking upon England as their first concern. Gradually, England had its own political and economic ends that differed from France, so England became a proper nation.

One consequence this event aroused was to determine if the nobility owned their allegiance to England or to France, because a kind of interlocking aristocracy existed, therefore they were compelled to reject one or the other. However, some nobles succeeded in retaining their positions in both countries. Normans suffered invasions of foreigners, mostly from the south of France.

In the period preceding the loss of Normandy there were few people who only spoke French although many more spoke only English. There was likewise a considerable number of them who were genuinely bilingual, as well as some people who had some understanding of both languages while only speaking one. The ability to speak one or more languages besides one’s native tongue is a matter of opportunity, as can be seen in a number of European countries today.

In the thirteenth century, for the most part, the upper classes continued to speak French, as they had done in the previous century, because now French were considered a cultivated tongue supported by social custom and by business and administrative convention. Meanwhile the English language made steady advances, because it became a matter of general use among the upper classes. At this time, the adoption of French words into the English language assumes large proportions. This transference happened when those who knew French and had been accustomed to use it tried to express themselves in English. Also, the literature intended for polite circles began to make over from French into English. French was read by educated and children were instructed in French.

At the ending of the thirteenth century and in the course of the next, the French language was losing its hold on England, because the tendency of speaking English was becoming constantly stronger even in the most conservatives institutions, as church and universities. Moreover, French was under the influence of English linguistic tendencies that developed into something different from any of the continental dialects.

The connection of England with the continent had been broken, so there was a hostile relation with France. Probably, the Hundred Years’ War was one of the causes contributing the disuse of French.

During the later part of the Middle English period the conditions of the labouring classes were rapidly improving, who were the people who spoke English, and the importance of a language is largely determined by the importance of the people who speak it. Hence, at the beginning of the fourteenth century English was once more known by everyone and there was a general adoption of the language again.

French had still some currency in the court but English had largely taken place. The king Edward III knew English and in 1362 an important step was taken toward restoring English to its dominant place as the language of the country. French was used for all legal proceeding, but in 1356 the major and alderman of London ordered that proceedings in the sheriffs’ court of London and Middlesex shall be in English. In October, 1362 the ‘Statue Pleading’ stated that all lawsuits shall be conducted in English. Hence, there was an official recognition of the English language again.

Also, in 1349 English began to be used in the school and by 1385 the practice had become general. In the fifteenth century happened the adoption of English for the records of town and guilds and in a number of branches of the central government. About 1430 a number of towns are seen translating their ordinances and their books of customs into English, and it became general in their transaction after 1450. After 1423 the petitions of the Commons were in English, instead than in French. The reign of Henry V (1413 - 1422) seems to have marked the turning point in the use of the English writing, he wrote his letters in English.

In conclusion, the Normans had changed many aspects in the English way of living. Firstly, they introduced French in the upper classes and they adopted some English words to their vocabulary. English was influenced by the French, as we know there are many words whose origin is from the Norman language. French were considered a cultivated tongue that was used for social custom, business and administrative convention. Hence, English was relieved as the language of the lower classes, however, the importance of a language is mainly determined by the importance of the people who speak it. That is the reason why when the labouring classes improved, English was the language used by everyone again.