The Norman Conquest and the French Influence free essay sample

Thus, he paper discusses the historical background of these transformations and the changes that they produced in the society of the era. Moreover, it focuses on the features of the coexistence of Latin, French and English in the same geographical space, as well as on the reestablishment of English as an offcial language. Furthermore, it provides an insight into the linguistic aspects of the matter and highlights the effects of the Norman Invasion in this field by analysing the main French influences on the English phonetics, vocabulary and grammar. To conclude with, the paper mentions the defining French contribution to the complexity of the Middle, as well as on the Modern, contemporary English language. KEYWORDS the Norman Conquest, French influence, phonetics, vocabulary, grammar, transtormations Throughout the history, many different languages have shaped or influenced the development of the English language as we know it today. The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. We will write a custom essay sample on The Norman Conquest and the French Influence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from Englaland and their language was called Englisc from which the words England and English are derived. The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar languages, which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English, which was spoken until around 1100. But at the beginning of the second millennium, the history witnessed an event that was destined to nave a protound impact on the life of the English people and a greater effect on the English language han any other event in the course of its historyl . It was the Norman Conquest, which took place in 1066. On the 5th January 1066, Edward the Confessor, King of England, died. The next day, the Witan (a council of high ranking men) elected Harold Godwin, Earl of Essex (and Edwards brother-in-law) to succeed him. In Normandy, the current Duke William did not agree with the voting of the Witan. William claimed that, years earlier, Edward had promised the crown of England to him. In addition, he believed that he had strengthened his claim still further when in 1063 he had tricked Harold into swearing to support his claim to the English throne. More than a little annoyed, William prepared to invade. King Harold also had problems to the north of England sibling rivalry.