The Norman Conquest: English language after 1066 (Part I)
The English language we now know would not have been the same if it was not for the events that happenned in 1066, especially in the battle of Hastings.
By the end of the 10th century England was under continuous attacks by the Vikings, so in 991 the king of England Aethelred II agreed to marry Emma, the daughter of the kind of Normandy, as a kind of alliance for protection. that alliance did not have the awaited results, and even the next kings of England were obliged to spend years abroad.
When Edward the Confessor died heirless in 1066, three separate aspirants arised: Harald III of Norway, William the Bastard (Duke of Normandy), and Harold Godwinson, who had been elected by the Witenagemot. King Harold was defeated in the battle of Stamford Bridge, when the Vikings attacked from the North, and the stage was set now for a dispute between the two remaining candidates to the throne. William arived with a loyal army (loyal because he had promised properties to everyone who grabbed a sword and fought) in Sussex, Harald's territory, and after a close victory in what would be later known as the Battle of Hastings on December 25th 1066, William was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
One of the most ovbious changes that occurred after William was crowned was that of the language: the Anglo-Norman. Anglo Norman was instated as the language of the ruling classes, and it would be so until about three centuries later. But not only the upper classes used French,merchants who travelled to and from the channel, and those who wanted to belong to these groups, or have a relationship with them, had to learn the language.
These events marked the beginning of Middle English, and had an incredible effect in the way we speak English nowadays. Before the Norman conquest, Latin had been a minor influence on English, but at this stage, some 30000 words entered the English language, that is, about one third of the total vocabulary. But vocabulary was not the only thing that changed in the English language. While Old English had been an extremely inflected language, it now had lost most of its inflections.
The influence of the Normans can be illustrated by looking at two words, beef and cow. Beef, commonly eaten by the aristocracy, derives from the Anglo-Norman, while the Anglo-Saxon commoners, who tended the cattle, retained the Germanic cow. Many legal terms, such as indict, jury, and verdict have Anglo-Norman roots because the Normans ran the courts. This split, where words commonly used by the aristocracy have Romantic roots and words frequently used by the Anglo-Saxon commoners have Germanic roots, can be seen in many instances.
