Norman conquest and its

consequences for the

development of English
By student of LA-83
Trotskovets Anastasiia
 "defining moment in the
development of the English
language...."
 My purpose is try to prove that the Norman Conquest of
England in 1066 has influenced English language in many ways,
leaving it with many French words and expressions.

The subject of my study is the consequences of the Norman

invasion that changed England and had a major influence on
development of English language.
 History of English Language
before the coming of the
Normans
The residents of British Isles did not have a common language.

Before the Norman Conquest, the people of England spoke Old English or
what was called Anglo-Saxon.
The Norman conquest of England

 was the 11th-century invasion and

occupation of England by an army
of Norman,  Breton,  Flemish, and 
French soldiers led by the  , later
Duke of Normandy

styled William the Conqueror, primarily

effected by his decisive victory at
the Battle of Hastings (October 14,
1066) and resulting ultimately in
profound political, administrative, and
social changes in the British Isles.
 Invasion Of England

The conquest was the final

act of a complicated drama
that had begun years
earlier, in the reign
of Edward the Confessor,
last king of the Anglo-Saxon
royal line.
Edward from his deathbed named Harold
his successor on January 5, 1066, and
Harold was crowned king the following
day.

William had secured support for his

invasion from both the Norman   and
aristocracy

the papacy.

The English were gradually worn down;

late in the afternoon, Harold was killed (by
an arrow in the eye).
 Linguistic consequences

the introduction of Anglo-Norman, as the language of the ruling

classes in England, displacing Old English. 

Norman French words entered the English language, and a

further sign of the shift was the usage of names common in
France instead of Anglo-Saxon names.

the wide use of the French language in many spheres of life.

English and French began to permeate each other.

 Borrowing of French words

a) words relating to government : administer, empire, state,

government;

b) words relating to military affairs: army, war, banner, soldier,

battle;

c) words relating to jury: advocate, petition, inquest, sentence,

barrister;

d) words relating to fashion: luxury, coat, collar, lace, pleat,

Change in the conditions of dialects.

Change in the writing of English

Change in spelling for the sake of clarity.

Thus, for example, mycel(much) appeared as muchel; fyr(fire) as fuir; hus (house) as hous; hu(how) as how; snnu
(son) as sone; him(him) as hym; cwen as queen; hwelet as what; quat (quart)as quhrt ; dic as ditch; scip as ship,
sccage (siege) as segge; and miht as might.

Change in verb infections in the Northern Midland and Southern

dialect
Northern Midland Southern infinitive Sing Singe(n) singen - Present, singand singende singinde - participle. Present
singular / / / 1st person - singe singe singe, 2nd person - singis singes singis, 3rd person - singis Present plural singis
singen singeth. Past participle sungen (y)sunge(n) (y)sunge .
 The Changes in Sounds and stress
which took place after the Norman
Conquest
words with the long [i] sound have
had it diphthongized into [ai], e.g.
fine, price, lion. The long [u], written
ou has become [au], e.g. Old French
espouse pronounced /spuize/ now
pronounce /spauze/

In the plural, Old French had a

nominative without any ending and
an accusative in –s; and English
popular instinct naturally associated
 Contribution of the French lexicon to
English
• The current French word sometimes deviates more from its old form
than the English. For example, the Old French ante became "tante" in
modern French and "aunt" in modern English.
• false friends. For example, egre, meaning 'sour', became aigre in
French while mutating into 'eager' in English.
• Other English words are composed of words of both French and
Germanic origins (handkerchief: hand is from the proto-
Germanic khanduz and kerchief is a mutation on the old French core
Law and society
• Crown (couronne): couronne, 12th c.
• Custom (coutume): custume, 12-13th c.
• Franchise (franchise): from franchise, 13th c.

Commerce
• Pay (payer): from paier, appease, 12th c.
• Ticket (ticket): from estiquet, small sign, 12th c.
• Purchase (acheter): from prochacier, "to try obtain
Summarising…
• Norman French words entered the English language, and a further sign of the
shift was the usage of French names.
• The most immediate consequence of the Norman domination in Britain is the
wide use of the French in many spheres of life: the intellectual life, literature,
education and writing. French was an official language for almost three-
hundred years.
• Change in the conditions of dialects. The conquest placed all four Old English
dialects more or less on a level.
• Change in the writing of English from the clear and easily readable in solar
hand of Irish origin to the dialect Carolingian script then in use on the
continent.
• Change in spelling for the sake of clarity.
• French words which adopted in English suffered a great change in sounds.
• Sometimes, the form of English words has kept traces of Old French, written or
oral, such as certain consonants or certain vowels or diphthongs.
Thanks for your attention and
be healthy!

made with love by student of LA-83,

Trotskovets Anastasiia