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Tema 42:
La conquista 
normanda. 
Influencia del 
francés en la lengua 
inglesa  

Madhatter Wylder 
10/06/2007 
 
 Tema 42:
La con
nquista Norman
nda. Influencia d
del Francés en la lengua inglesa
a. Prestamos y calcos.
2

Table of contents.

1. Th
he Norman Conquest. ___________________
______________________________
___ 3
1.11. Pre-Norm
man Conquest (1000-10666). _______
________________________________
____ 3
1.1.1. Cnut King
K of Englannd. _____________________
____________________________________
_____ 4
1.1.2. Edwardd the confessoor. _________________________________________________________
_____ 4
1.1.3. Haroldd of Wessex. ____________
_ ____________
____________________________________
_____ 5
1.1.4. The baattle of Hastinggs. _____________________
____________________________________
_____ 6
1.22. The Norm
man Settlement (1066-12200). ______
________________________________
____ 7
1.2.1. The Usse of French by
b the Upper Class.
C _______
_________________________________________ 8
1.2.2. Circum
mstances Prom moting the Conntinued Use of French. ___________________________
_____ 9
1.2.3. The Atttitude towardd English. ________________
_________________________________________ 9
1.33. The re-esttablishmentt of English (1200-1500)). ______________________________
___ 10
a French in the 13th Centu
1.3.1. The use of English and ury. ________________________________
____ 10
1.3.2. Generaal adoption off English in thee 14th century. __________________________________
____ 10
1.3.3. Increassing ignorancee of French inn the 15th C. ____________
__ ________________________
____ 11
2. Frrench Influ
uence on En
nglish langu
uage. ____
______________________________
__ 11
2.11. French in
nfluence on Phonetics.
P _
___________
________________________________
___ 11
2.1.1. Fricativve voiced couunterparts. _______________
____________________________________
____ 11
2.1.2. Stress __________________________________ ___________________________________
____ 11
2.22. French in
nfluence on grammar
g _____________
________________________________
___ 12
2.2.1. The adj
djective. _____________________________ ____________________________________
____ 12
2.2.2. The artticle used withh the relative pronoun.
p ____
____________________________________
____ 12
2.2.3. Combination of Infinnitive and Preesent Participle or Gerund. ____________
_ ____________
____ 12
2.2.4. Greaterr developmennt of Prepositioons. ____________________________________________
____ 12
2.2.5. The Veerb “to do” __________________________ ____________________________________
____ 13
2.33. French in
nfluence on the
t vocabulaary. _______
________________________________
___ 13
2.3.1. Frenchh borrowing peeriods: The firrst period (106
66-1250)____________________________
____ 13
2.3.2. Frenchh borrowing peeriods: The seecond period (1250-1400)
( _
________________________
____ 14
Bibliiography_____________
____________________
______________________________
__ 18
Brieff summary. _________
____________________
______________________________
__ 19

Iván Matellaness’ Notes

 Tema 42:
La conquista Normanda. Influencia del Francés en la lengua inglesa. Prestamos y calcos.
3

1. The Norman Conquest.

Toward the close of the OE period an event occurred which had a
greater effect on the English language than any other in the course of its
history. This event was the NORMAN CONQUEST in 1066. What the language
would have been like if William the Conqueror had not succeeded in making
good his claim to the English throne can only be a matter of conjecture. It
would probably have followed much the same course as the other
Germanic languages, retaining perhaps more of its inflections and
incorporating words from other languages much less freely. In particular it
would have lacked the greater part of that enormous number of French
words which today make English seem, on the side of vocabulary, almost
as much a Romance as a Germanic language.

1.1. Pre-Norman Conquest (1000-1066).

CNUT was the son of King SVEIN Forkbeard of Denmark.
Scandinavian settlers have tried to conquer England for some centuries. In
1000, the king of UK was KING AETHELRED. AETHELRED married Emma, sister of
Duke Richard of Normandy. This marriage was probably a political one because
the king was afraid of a resurgence of the Viking power in UK. In 1002, feeling
more secure after his Norman marriage, the king ordered the massacre of
all Danish people in UK. SVEIN’s sister & his brother in law died in this
massacre.
This massacre brought SVEIN to UK to
revenge their deaths. SVEIN raided South & east
in 1003-4, but he withdraw in 1005 bc of the
great famine in UK. In 1013, SVEIN made a
serious effort to conquer UK, & after
AETHELRED fled to his relatives in Normandy,
SVEIN became King of England. However, he died
before he could be crowned, and although his
son CNUT was chosen by the army to succeed him,
the English aristocracy sent for AETHELRED,

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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4

who returned and successfully resisted the Danes until his death in 1016. CNUT
fight against AETHELRED’s son, EDMUND. They signed a treaty, in which THE

DANE LAW & the midlands were ruled by CNUT, & the south UK was ruled
by EDMUND. EDMUND dies & CNUT became the king of all UK.

1.1.1. Cnut King of England.

In 1017, CNUT married AETHELRED’s widow: EMMA. She had two
children from AETHELRED & two from CNUT. In 1018, HAROLD, king of Denmark
& CNUT’s brother, died. So, he also became King of Denmark. CNUT
conquered Norway and Scotland. So, by the late 1020s, CNUT was the king
of all UK, Denmark & Norway.
In 1035, Cnut died & the Anglo-Scandinavian Empire broke down. He
gave to one son Norway, to another, the North of UK & to another the south of
UK & Denmark. None of CNUT’s children produced any heirs & an AETHELRED-
Emma’s son was ascended to the English throne in 1042: EDWARD, THE
CONFESSOR.

1.1.2. Edward the confessor.

EDWARD spent almost 30 years in exile under the protection of his
grandfather, DUKE RICHARD I of Normandy and his successors. Whilst there,
he made several friends. On his return to England in 1042, as EDWARD
THE CONFESSOR, he promoted many of these Frenchmen into positions
of influence, as a counterbalance to the arrogant power of the Godwine family.
The GODWINES had prospered greatly while EDWARD was away.
Under CNUT and his successors, they had amassed so much land that
they were second only in power and wealth to that of the King. So
when Edward returned, he found his position restricted by CNUT's old Earls.
He tried to counterbalance this by allying himself with the enemies of
Godwine, and by promoting his own friends (the Frenchmen) who were made
up of the Norman & French nobles.
Meanwhile, Normandy was embroiled in its own succession crisis.
Duke Richard's grandson, Robert, had died in 1035, leaving an 8-year-old
bastard son, William, as his heir.

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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EDWARD, by contrast, was already an old man. He had spent his entire
adult life waiting for the chance to be King of England, and having achieved it
had found his power restricted by the over-powerful subjects of his
predecessors, so much so that he was forced to marry Edith, daughter of
GODWINE, in a marriage of dynastic expediency. The chroniclers say that he
detested his wife so much that he never consummated the marriage. Instead,
he threw himself into pious works, as the foundation of Westminster Abbey.
So by 1051, it is entirely possible that he was aware he might never have
children, so long as he remained married to Edith. In 1051, he acted
against the GODWINES.
In 1066, after EDWARD’s death, HAROLD OF NORWAY, SWEYN OF DENMARK
& WILLIAM OF NORMANDY asked for the throne. During Godwing’s revelion in
1051 it appears that Edward promised William the throne of UK.
However, in January 1066, Edward left the throne to HAROLD OF WESSEX,
who was the son of Earl Godwin.

1.1.3. Harold of Wessex.

When HAROLD GODWINSON took the English throne in January of 1066,
he knew challenges to his authority would soon manifest themselves. Both
WILLIAM OF NORMANDY & HARALD HARDRADA had eyes for the crown and
were in positions to act on their ambitions at any time.
In May, the Isle of Wight was attacked by Godwinson's own
brother, TOSTIG. Resentful over his loss of the earldom of Northumbria
and determined to pay Harold back for allowing it to happen, he agitated the
south coast of England, then sailed north to the Humber. He then fled to
Norway and allied himself with King HARALD HARDRADA. GODWINSON had
little time to spare for his brother and the Norwegian king. He knew William
was preparing to invade, and he assembled an army of his own and placed
it along the southern coast. Unfortunately, he could not guess exactly when
William would invade; Harold's army was ready by Easter, and they waited all
summer.
KING HARALD HARDRADA had sailed south from Norway and begun his
attack on Northern England. The combined force (Harold’s brother too)

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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headed for the city of York, more than 200 miles away from where Harold
Godwinson had his army & conquered it in late September. However, rather
than destroying the city of York, HARDRADA spent some time savouring his
victory. He left York almost immediately after entering the city & made
arrangements to accept the city's surrender at STAMFORD BRIDGE on Sept 25th.
GODWINSON covered the distance (south – North) in only 5 days, the
army arrived in the city late on the night of September 24th, exhausted
but determined to defend their kingdom. Harold quickly learned of the
surrender that was to take place the next morning. Through luck or cunning, he
chose to advance to Stamford Bridge where he was able to take
HARDRADA's forces completely by surprise. The BATTLE OF STAMFORD
BRIDGE was a great victory for GODWINSON and the Saxons. Both HARDRADA
and HAROLD’s brother were killed, and when at last the Norwegians
surrendered and were allowed to leave England, the force that had arrived in
300 war vessels left in a mere 24 ships. But it was a victory that would
ultimately cost GODWINSON England, for while he was occupied defeating
the forces of the last Viking invasion on English soil, WILLIAM was able to cross
the channel and enter England.

1.1.4. The battle of Hastings.

William was at last able to set sail, and he did so under the standard
of the pope, because GODWINSON had removed the Archbishopric of
Canterbury (Robert of Jumièges) without Church approval. Therefore, Pope
Alexander II was able to rationalize support for Harold's enemy.
On the morning of September 28, 1066, WILLIAM OF NORMANDY and a
force of several thousand men sailed into Pevensey Bay and occupied
the port of Hastings & began to build fortifications. GODWINSON received
word of William's invasion on October 2nd. Once again he pushed his
army more than 200 miles to meet his enemy, but this time he was
forced to move more slowly in order to rest his battle-weary men and
collect additional forces. He arrived on the evening of Friday, October 13th,
too late to attack and unable to surprise WILLIAM as he had surprised

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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7

HARDRADA. GODWINSON learned the Pope had excommunicated him: a blow that
may have had significant psychological effects on his subsequent actions.
The next morning Harold and his army occupied a ridge about 10 miles
northwest of Hastings. The battle lasted hours. The two-handed axes the
Saxons provoked a horrific massacre, and the Norman cavalry, while
persistent, made little evolution. At one point the Normans were so badly
thrashed by the Saxon foot-soldiers that they broke and fled, and
William himself checked their retreat. The cavalry charges continued,
alternating with volleys of arrows.
Then the Normans used a tactic to weaken HAROLD’s troops: The tactic of
simulating a retreat. When a contingent of Saxons broke away to
apprehend the Normans who simulated withdraw, they were
surrounded by more Normans and cut down. Once these defences were
gone, GODWINSON's forces began to collapse. GODWINSON's only hope was that
his rapidly diminishing army could hold out until dark. Alas, as the sun toiled
into the west, the king himself took a fatal blow. LEGEND has it he was hit in
the eye by a Norman arrow. England now belonged to WILLIAM THE

CONQUEROR.

1.2. The Norman Settlement (1066-1200).

William's victory at Hastings and his subsequent coronation in London
involved more than a mere substitution of one monarch for another. It
was not as if he had been chosen originally as the successor of
Edward. In that case there would doubtless have been more French favourites
at court, as in the time of the Confessor, and Normans in certain important
offices, but the English nobility would have remained intact, and the
English government would have continued with its tradition unbroken. But
WILLIAM's possession of the throne had been a matter of conquest & was
attended by all the costs of the conquest of one people by another.
One of the most important of these consequences was the
introduction of a new nobility. Many of the English higher class had been
killed on the field at Hastings. Those who escaped were treated as traitors, and
the places of both alike were filled by William's Norman followers. This process

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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8

was repeated several times during the next four years while the Conquest was
being completed. For William's coronation did not win immediate
recognition throughout England, and, in fact, he was acknowledged only
in the southeast. Upon his return from a visit to Normandy the following year
he was faced with serious rebellions in the southwest, the west, and
the north. It was necessary for him to enter upon a series of campaigns and
to demonstrate, often with ruthless severity, his mastery of the country. As a
result of these campaigns the OE nobility was practically wiped out. In
1072 only 1 of the 12 earls in England was an Englishman, and he was
executed four years later. What was true in the time of the Conqueror was true
also in the reigns of his sons, and later. For several generations after the
Conquest the important positions and the great estates were almost
always held by Normans or men of foreign blood.
Normans were gradually introduced into all important positions
in the church. The two archbishops were Normans. The English abbots were
replaced more slowly, but as fast as vacancies occurred through death or
deprivation they were filled generally by foreigners. In 1075 13 of the 21
abbots who signed the decrees of the Council of London were English;
in 1087 their number had been reduced to 3 of the 21.

1.2.1. The Use of French by the Upper Class.

Whatever the actual number of Normans settled in England, it is clear
that the members of the new ruling class were sufficiently
predominant to continue to use their own language. This was natural
enough at first, since they knew no English; but they continued to do so for a
long time to come, picking up some knowledge of English gradually, but making
no effort to do so as a matter of policy.
For 200 years after the Norman Conquest, French remained the
language of ordinary intercourse among the upper classes in England.
At first those who spoke French were those of Norman origin, but soon through
intermarriage and association with the ruling class numerous people of English
extraction must have found it to their advantage to learn the new language,
and before long the distinction between those who spoke French and those

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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who spoke English was not ethnic but largely social. The language of the
masses remained English, and it is reasonable to assume that a French soldier
settled on a manor with a few hundred English peasants would soon learn the
language of the people among whom his lot was cast.

1.2.2. Circumstances Promoting the Continued Use of French.

The most important factor in the continued use of French by the
English upper class until the beginning of the 13th C was the close connection
that existed through all these years between England and the
continent. From the time of the Conquest the kings of England were
likewise dukes of Normandy. To the end of his life WILLIAM THE

CONQUEROR seems to have felt more closely attached to his dukedom than
to the country he governed by right of conquest. Not only was he buried there,
but in dividing his possessions at his death he gave Normandy to his eldest
son, and England to William, his second son. Later the two domains were
united again in the hands of HENRY I. Upon the accession of HENRY II, English
possessions in France were still further enlarged. Henry, as count of Anjou,
inherited from his father the districts of Anjou and Maine.
The English nobility was not so much a nobility of England as an
Anglo-French aristocracy. Nearly all the great English landowners had
possessions likewise on the continent, frequently contracted continental
marriages, and spent much time in France, either in pursuance of their own
interests or those of the king.

1.2.3. The Attitude toward English.

There is no reason to think that the preference which the governing
class in England showed for French was anything more than a natural
result of circumstances. The idea that the newcomers were actively hostile
to the English language is without foundation. It is true that English was
now an uncultivated tongue, the language of a socially inferior class.
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR made an effort himself at the age of 43 to
learn English, that he might understand and render justice in the disputes
between his subjects, but his energies were too completely absorbed by

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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his many other activities to enable him to make much progress. His
youngest son, HENRY I, may have known some English. In the period with
which I am at the moment concerned (up to 1200) the attitude of the king
and the upper classes toward the English language may be
characterized as one of simple indifference.

1.3. The re-establishment of English (1200-1500).

1.3.1. The use of English and French in the 13th Century.
After 1200 a feeling of rivalry developed btw England & France,
which made King JOHN (Known as JOHN, THE LACKLAND [1119 – 1216]) to lose
Normandy. When the connection btw the two countries broke, the Anglo-
Norman noblemen took sides, creating a division btw the French & the English
Noblemen.
The reason for the continued use of French disappeared in the 13th C, as
the English nobility was nothing but English. However, the country suffered
from a fresh invasion of foreigners, especially from the south of France,
due to HENRY III’s (1216-72) French tastes and connections. This
foreign incursion delayed the spread of the use of English by the
upper classes which had begun. With HENRY III’s excesses, opposition to
foreigners became the main ground for a national feeling which drove
the barons and the middle classes together in a common cause.
At the same time, French became a cultivated tongue, supported by
social, business & administrative convention. French started to be treated
as a foreign Lg and English as the Mother Tongue.

1.3.2. General adoption of English in the 14th century.

In the 14th C, English was generally used, although French had not
gone out of use completely: It was still the Lg of the church and the
government, but those who used French were bilingual.
Moreover, at the end of this century, the use of English in the schools
was generalized and French was taken over in legal proceedings,
which constituted the official recognition of English.

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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1.3.3. Increasing ignorance of French in the 15th C.

As a result of this tendency, in the 15th C, French was increasingly
ignored, even among people of position. Nevertheless, French had been for so
long the mark of the privileged class that it continued to be cultivated as
the Lg of culture and fashion. Therefore, French was learnt by the English,
especially in the 18th C and up to the present. This is proved by the fact that
French borrowings have continued to be taken up to the present.
The final step towards the general adoption of English was when it
displaced both Latin and French in writing, law, politics & literature.

2. French Influence on English language.

2.1. French influence on Phonetics.
2.1.1. Fricative voiced counterparts.
OE had the unvoiced fricative sounds [f], [s], [T], and [S], FRENCH

influence helped to distinguish their voiced counterparts [v], [z], [D]

and [Z]. Palatal Affricate sounds [tS] & [dZ] are also introduced by

French.
For instance, in OE, [f] and [v] were allophones of one phoneme: /f/. It

was pronounced [v] between vowels (or maybe between all sonorants) and
pronounced [f] elsewhere. This is why we still have wife ~ wives, roof ~
rooves, hoof ~ hooves …

2.1.2. Stress
GERMANIC STRESS is on the root syllable of a word (one of the odd
things about Germanic among the Indoeuropean languages) so OE stress was
generally on the first syllable, or the 1st syllable of the root if there were a
prefix. However, with the large influx of Norman French words, ENGLISH sort
of adopted the Romance stress patterns, which usually has the stress on
the penultimate syllable. But even now, English tends to pull the stress
forward on words borrowed from Romance as they get Anglicized.

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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2.2. French influence on grammar

2.2.1. The adjective.
It is a well-known rule that with few exceptions, the adj in English is
placed before the N. Nevertheless, because of the French influence, it can
appears after the N:
A thynge immortal [ME]
Later, this way of using the adj disappeared but leaving a number of
stereotyped expressions:
The body politic From times immemorial. 1
The state general. The poet Laureate.

2.2.2. The article used with the relative pronoun.

It is another French influence which entered the English Lg by way of
translation. In many translations we find the construction the which as the
correspondent for the French Lequel. That form was very often used by
CAXTON, a translator who should be considered a kind of introducer of French
influence.

2.2.3. Combination of Infinitive and Present Participle or Gerund.

Typically French expressions consisting in combining an Infinitive
and a gerund were copied by the English.
Venir chantant → Come singing.
This structure has remained, as we know, in ModE. Nevertheless, it did not
exist in OE. In ME, it came to reinforce a native structure which was
developed from the progressive form. Probably, this is why it was so easily
accepted into the Lg, such structure was:
To go a hunting
To go a fishing

2.2.4. Greater development of Prepositions.

During the ME period, English suffered the leveling of vowels which
produced loss of gender and loss of inflection endings. Syntactic
structures, thus, become stricter. English has to compensate this loss by
developing their prepositional system, which they lacked.

1
Title granted in England for poetic excellence (=poeta laureado)

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As a result, they took some Pps from French:

Considering, during, except, concerning, notwithstanding
They also took up PpPs:
By cause that As one that In general
By so that On point to In effect
For why Often times In fact
All be it that In void Indeed

2.2.5. The Verb “to do”

The V to do began to develop in the transitional period from the OE to
the ME. The appearance of to do was modest and used only with
motion Vs.
However, in the Middle ages, the various uses of to do began to develop:
- To form both interrogatives & negative structures.
- It was not used as an emphasizer at that time. Instead, under the
French influence, it was used to express the same idea that we express in
ModE “How do you feel? ”

2.3. French influence on the vocabulary.

The ME period (1150-1500) was a period of great changes in the
English Lg, both in its grammar & in its vocabulary, making a highly
inflected Lg into an analytic one due to the decay of inflectional endings. The
grammatical changes that English underwent after the Norman Conquest
were only indirectly due to the use of French in England. However, French
influence is much more direct on the vocabulary.

2.3.1. French borrowing periods: The first period (1066-1250)

The borrowings from the first stage differ from those of the second in
being much less numerous, in being more likely to show peculiarities of
Anglo-Norman phonology.
Many of the French words that appeared in English before 1250 are
those that the lower classes would become familiar with through
contact with a French speaking nobility:
Baron Servant Minstrel
Noble Messenger Juggler
Dame Feast

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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2.3.2. French borrowing periods: The second period (1250-1400)

After 1250, the conditions for borrowing from French words changed:
those who were used to speaking in French were starting to use
English. Whether to supply deficiencies in the English vocabulary or in their
own imperfect command of that vocabulary, the upper classes introduced
into English a great deal of common French words.
The French loan-words introduced in this period can be classified into the
following semantic groups:
1. Governmental and administrative words: It is quite natural that
English should owe many of its words dealing with government and
administration to the Lg of those who made public affairs their main concern
for over 200 years.
GENERAL TERMS:
- Adjourn - Empire - Realm - State
- Administer - Exchequer - Record - Statue
- Alliance - Govern - Reign - Subsidy
- Assembly - Government - Repeal - Tax
- Authority - Majesty - Revenue - Treaty
- Council - Oppress - Royal - Tyrant
- Court - Parliament - Scepter - Usurp
- Crown - Prerogative - Sovereign
WORDS RELATED TO THE IDEA OF GOVERNMENT:
- Subject - Exile - Allegiance - Liberty
- Traitor - Public - Rebel - treason
OFFICE TITLES:
- Office - Councilor - Governor - Constable
- Chancellor - Minister - Warden - Coroner
- Chamberlain - Viscount - Castellan - Crier
- Marshal - Treasurer - Mayor
DESIGNATION OF RANK:
- Noble - Princess - Duchess - Squire
- Nobility - Duke - Count - Page
- Peer - Baron - Countess - courtier
- Prince - Retinue - Marquis
TITLES OF RESPECT:
- Sir - Madam - Mistress
WORDS RELATING TO THE ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION OF SOCIETY:
- Manor - Servant - Vassal
- Peasant - Demesne - Homage
- Slave - Bailiff - Bondman
- Caitiff

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2. Ecclesiastical words: The importance of this class of borrowing is due to

the importance of the church as a main object of Norman interest
and ambition, next to politics.
GENERAL TERMS:
- Religion - Prayer - Sacrament - Lesson
- Theology - Passion - Communion - Psalmody
- Baptism - Sermon - Penance
- Confession - Homily - Orison
INDICATION OF RANK OR CLASS:
- Clergy - Parson - Cardinal - Sexton
- Clerk - Vicar - Legate - Abbess
- Cardinal - Friar - Chaplain - Novice
- Dean - Prelate - Pastor - Hermit
NAMES OF OBJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SERVICE OR WITH THE RELIGIOUS LIFE:
- Crucifix - Convent - Lectern - Hermitage
- Miter - Cloister - Chancel - Sanctuary
- Incense - Croiser - Chantry
- Image - Surplice - Chapter
- Abbey - Censer - Priority
FUNDAMENTAL RELIGIOUS OR THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS:
- Creator - Mistery - Schism - Contrition
- Savior - Faith - Reverence - Remission
- Trinity - Heresy - Devotion - Absolution
- Virgin - Temptation - Sacrilege - Salvation
- Saint - Penitence - Simony - Immortality
- Miracle - Redemption - Damnation
GENERAL VIRTUES:
- Virtue - Obedience - Sanctity - Piety
- Charity - Pity - Mercy
VERBS:
- Preach - Repent - Adore - Ordain
- Confess - Anoint - Chant
- Sacrifice - Pray - Convert
3. Legal terms: French was the Lg of the law courts for so long that great
part of the English legal vocabulary comes from French.
VERBS ASSOCIATED WITH LEGAL PROCESSES:
- Accuse - Depose - Assign - Warrant
- Arrest - Pledge - Condemn - Convict
- Judge - Assail - Sue - Amerce
- Banish - Award - Implead - Imprison
- Plead - Acquit - Arraign - Pardon
- Indict - Blame - Seize

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

 Tema 42:
La conquista Normanda. Influencia del Francés en la lengua inglesa. Prestamos y calcos.
16

GENERAL TERMS:
- Justice - Petition - Pillory - Advocate
- Judgment - Inquest - Equity - Complaint
- Bar - Hue and cry - Crime - Summons
- Defendant - Juror - Plea - Indictment
- Bill - Felon - Attorney - Panel
- Evidence - Bail - Jury - Proof
- Sentence - Mainpernor - Verdict - Ramson
- Assize - Decree - Prison - Award
- Suit - Fine - Eyre - Gaol
- Judge - Punishment - Plaintiff
NAMES OF MANY CRIMES:
- Felony - Slander - Arson
- Fraud - Trespass - Libel
- Assault - Adultery - Perjury
- Larceny
WORDS RELATED TO PROPERTY:
- Property - Appurtenances - Estate - Encumbrance
- Tenant - Bounds - Patrimony - Seisin
- Heritage - Dower - Heir - Legacy
- Tenement - Executor - Chattels - Entail
4. Military terms: the arts of war have undergone such changes since then
that many of these words are obsolete or only in historical use.
GENERAL TERMS:
- Army - Ambush - Navy - Combat
- Peace - Retreat - Enemy - Stratagem
- Battle - Guard - Siege - Garrison
- Defense - Arms - Soldier - Spy
NAMES OF OFFICERS:
- Captain - Chieftain - Buckler
- Sergeant - Barbican - Archer
- Lance - Lieutenant - Portcullis
- Mail - Dart - Moat
- Hauberk - Banner
VERBS:
- Arm - Defend - Array
- Harness - Besiege - Brandish
5. Familiar words: Fashion, meals and social life: Fashion words were
borrowed because the upper classes set the standard in fashion and dress.
GENERAL TERMS AND GARMENTS:
- Fashion - Cloak - Garment - Cape
- Gown - Veil - Collar - Frock
- Coat - Chemise - Embroidery - Train
- Button - Lace - Satin - Petticoat
- Fur - Gusset - Jewel - Pleat
- Brooch - Tassel - Apparel - Plume

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

 Tema 42:
La conquista Normanda. Influencia del Francés en la lengua inglesa. Prestamos y calcos.
17

- Ivory - Kerchief - Habit - Mitten

- Robe - Garter - Garment - Galoshes
- Attire - Dress
COLOURS:
- Blue - Tawny - Brown - Vermillon
- Scarlet - Russet - Saffron
PRECIOUS STONES:
- Amethyst - Coral - Ruby - Topaz
- Emerald - Turquoise - Sapphire - Garnet
- Pearl - Crystal - Diamond - Beryl

6. Animals and meals:

GENERAL TERMS:
- Dinner - Collation - Cream
- Feast - Victuals - Olives
- Taste - Sustenance - Repast
- Biscuit - Supper - Mess
- Sugar - Appetite - Viand
- Salad - Toast
FISH:
- Sole - Bream - Oyster
- Sardine - Porpoise - Perch
- Mackerel - Salmon - Sturgeon
MEATS:
- Beef - Haunch - Sausage
- Mutton - Gravy - Tripe
- Bacon - Veal - Chine
- Venison - Pork - Brawn
- Loin
FRUITS AND DESSERTS:
- Fig - Cherry - Jelly
- Grape - Pasty - Pomegranate
- Lemon - Date - Confection
- Tart - Orange - Treacle
- Raisin - Peach
SEASONING AND CONDIMENTS:
Spice Vinegar Mustard
Herb Nutmeg Thyme
Cinnamon Clove Marjoram
VERBS:
Roast Parboil Fry
Stew Blanch Mince
Grate Boil Broach

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

 Tema 42:
La con
nquista Norman
nda. Influencia d
del Francés en la lengua inglesa
a. Prestamos y calcos.
18

7. Domestic
D economy
y and sociial life:
ARTICLES OF COMFORT:
- Curt
rtain - Couch h - Chair - Screen
- Cusshion - Lanteern - Lamp - er
Chandelie
- Blannket - Quilt - Towel - Basin
ENTERTAINMENT:
- Con
nversation - Fool - Carol - Melody
- Dan
nce - Musicc - Chess - checkers
- Min
nstrel - Leisurre - Juggler
HUNTING AND
D RIDING:

- Stalllion - Falconn - Rein - Squirrel

- Stabble - Scentt - Harnesss - Partridge
- Terr
rrier - Pheassant - Curry - Heron
8. Vocabulary
V y of Art, le
earning an
nd mediciine:
ARTS:
- Art - Beauty
ty - Painting
g - Color
- Scu
ulpture - Figuree - Music - Tone
ARCHITECTURRE & BUILDIING:
- Cath
thedral - Chimney - Toweer
- Mannsion - Cloister - Cellar
ar
- Ceilling - Palace - Turreet
- Porc
rch - Chamber - Bapti
tistery
LITERATURE:
- Liteerature - Trageedy - Poet - Chapter
- Rim
me - Paperr - Prose - Pen
LEARNING:
- Trea
eatise - Grammar - Geom
metry
- Log
gic - Study - Gend
der
MEDICINE:
- Surg
rgeon - Arsenic - Anato
tomy
- Lep
per - Pain - Stom
mach

Bib
bliograp
phy
Editorial MAD --- CED
DE & Magister ap
puntes
Main Sources:
S
http:///www.orbilat.com/Influences_o
of_Romance/Eng
glish/RIFL-English-French-The__Domination_of_
_French.html
http:///www.orbilat.com/Influences_o
of_Romance/Eng
glish/RIFL-English-SocHist-1066
6.html
Minor sources:
Phonettics: http://french.about.com/liibrary/bl-frenchinenglish.htm?P
PM=ss14_french
h&
http:///www.ling.upenn.edu/NWAVE/a abs-pdf/svensso on.pdf
Norma an Conquest:
http:///historymedren.about.com/libra
ary/weekly/aa1002799.htm
http:///historymedren.about.com/libra
ary/weekly/blcon
nqtoc.htm
Dane Law
L map: http:///www.bow.k122.nh.us/cyberbu g_map_of_danelaw.htm
us/vikings/viking

Iván Matellaness’ Notes

 Topic 42: Brief summary
19

Brief summary. La conquista Normanda. Influencia del Francés en la lengua inglesa.

- THE NORMAN CONQUEST: Toward the close of the OE period an event occurred which had a greater effect on the English
language than any other in the course of its history. This event was the Norman Conquest in 1066.

- Pre-Norman Conquest (1000-1066):

♦ Scandinavian settlers have tried to conquer England for some centuries.
♦ In 1000, the English KING AETHELRED married EMMA (sister of Duke Richard of Normandy) probably as a political marriage bc the king
was afraid of a resurgence of the Viking power in UK. In 1002, feeling more secure after his Norman marriage, the king ordered the
massacre of all Danish people in UK, at where the King SVEIN of Denmark lost some near relatives.
♦ This massacre brought KING SVEIN to UK to revenge their deaths. First in 1003-4, but he had to leave bc of the great famine. Second in
1013, when he finally defeated AETHELRED who fled to Normandy with his relatives in-law.
___ King SVEIN died before being crowned and his son CNUT succeed him.
1000-1066

♦ In 1016, after a war btw Aethelred’s son (EDMUND) and CNUT, a treaty was signed in which the DANE LAW and the midlands were ruled
by CNUT, & the south UK was ruled by EDMUND. Edmund dies short afterwards & Cnut became the king of all UK.
___ By the late 1020s, CNUT was the king of all UK, Norway & Denmark (by conquest –Norway & Scotland- and death of his brother).
___ CNUT died in 1035, and divided his empire among his sons who all will shortly die with no direct heir.
♦ AETHELRED- EMMA’s younger son was ascended to the English throne in 1042: EDWARD, THE CONFESSOR.
♦ EDWARD THE CONFESSOR promoted many Frenchmen into positions of influence, since he spent almost 30 years in exile in Normandy.
___ During CNUT’s reign, a family has become increasingly powerful: THE GODWINES. EDWARD counterbalanced by allying w/their enemies.
___ EDWARD was even forced to marry EDITH, from the GODWINE (He detested her so much that the marriage was never consummated.).
___ In 1051, EDWARD THE CONFESSOR acted against the GODWINES, during which EDWARD promised WILLIAM OF NORMANDY the UK throne.
♦ In January 1066, EDWARD left the throne to HAROLD OF WESSEX (son of EARL GODWIN), who knew authority would soon be challenged.
___ In May, the Isle of Wight was attacked by HAROLD's own brother (TOSTIG). Resentful over his loss of the earldom of Northumbria.
He fled to Norway and allied himself with KING HARALD HARDRADA.
___ KING HARALD HARDRADA attacked the North of England in Sept 1066. The combined force (Harold’s brother too) entered the city of York
some days afterwards. However, rather than destroying it, HARDRADA spent some time savoring his victory & made arrangements to
th
accept the city's surrender at STAMFORD BRIDGE on Sept 25 . HAROLD, who was southwards waiting for WILLIAM to attack, arrived in 5
th
days and attacked him before the morning of the 25 September by surprise. HARDRADA & HAROLD’S BROTHER were killed at the battle.
th
1066

___ WILLIAM OF NORMANDY arrived at Hastings on September 28 , 1066 under the standard of the Pope. HAROLD knew of the invasion on
th
October the 4 and moved southwards. This time he was forced to move more slowly in order to rest & collect additional forces. Harold
th
& William met on October 13 . At first, Harold’s troops were stronger and fiercer than Norman cavalry. Then the Normans used a tactic to
weaken HAROLD’s troops: The tactic of simulating a retreat. When some Saxons broke away to apprehend the Normans who
simulated withdraw, they were surrounded & killed. Once these defences were gone, HAROLD's forces began to collapse.
___ HAROLD was killed in battle and William was up to then known as WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.

- The Norman Settlement (1066 – 1200): WILLIAM's victory at Hastings involved more than a mere substitution of one monarch.
♦ One of the most important of these consequences was the introduction of new nobility. Many of the English nobility had been killed on
the field at Hastings or had escaped & thus treated as traitors. The empty places were filled by William with Norman followers.
___ For William's coronation did not win immediate recognition throughout UK. It was necessary for him to enter upon a series of
campaigns & to demonstrate his mastery of the country. As a result of these campaigns the OE nobility was practically wiped out.
♦ Normans were gradually introduced into all important positions in the church → The two archbishops & most abbots.
♦ The members of the new ruling class were sufficiently predominant to continue to use their own language, since they knew no English.
st
1066 - 12th C

___ At 1 , French speakers were those of Norman origin, but soon through intermarriage & association with the ruling class many Britons
found an advantage to learn the new Lg, & before long the distinction btw those who spoke French or English was not ethnic but social.
___ For 200 years after the Norman Conquest, French remained the Lg of ordinary intercourse among the upper classes in England.
♦ The most important factor in the continued use of French by the English upper class until the beginning of the 13 C was the close
th

connection btw England & the continent.

___ The English nobility was not so much a nobility of England as an Anglo-French aristocracy. Nearly all the great English landowners
had possessions likewise on the continent.
♦ There is no reason to think that the preference which the governing class in England showed for French was anything more than a
natural result of circumstances. The idea that the newcomers were actively hostile to the English language is without foundation. It is true
that English was now an uncultivated tongue, the language of a socially inferior class.
___ WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR made an effort himself at the age of 43 to learn English,

- The re-establishment of English (1200-1500):

♦ After 1200 a feeling of rivalry developed btw England & France, which made KING JOHN, THE LACKLAND to lose Normandy.
___ When the connection broke, the Anglo-Norman noblemen took sides, creating a division btw the French & the English Noblemen.
th
___ The reason for the continued use of French disappeared in the 13 C, as the English nobility was only English. However, the country
13th C

suffered from a fresh invasion of foreigners, especially from the south of France, due to Henry III’s French tastes & connections,
which delayed the spread of the use of English by the upper classes.
___ French Lg started to be treated as a foreign Lg and English as the Mother Tongue at this time.
♦ In the 14 C, English was generally used, although French had not gone out of use completely: It was still the Lg of the church and the
th

government, but those who used French were bilingual.

14th C

___ Moreover, at the end of this century, the use of English in the schools was generalized and French was taken over in legal
proceedings, which constituted the official recognition of English.
♦ As a result of this tendency, in the 15 C, French was increasingly ignored, even among people of position.
th

___ Nevertheless, French had been for so long the mark of the privileged class that it continued to be seen as the Lg of culture & fashion.
15th C

___ The final step towards the general adoption of English was when it displaced both Latin and French in writing, law, politics &
literature.

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

 Topic 42: Brief summary
20

- French Influence on English Lg:

- Phonetics - Grammar
♦ Fricative voiceless counterparts: OE had the vdss Fric ♦ It is a well-known rule that the adj in English is placed before the N.
sounds [f], [s], [T], and [S], FRENCH influence helped to Nevertheless, bc of the French influence, it can appears after the N → (no
distinguish their voiced counterparts [v], [z], [D] and [Z]. longer productive, stereotyped expressions) The state general, The poet
Laureate …
___ For instance, in OE, [f] and [v] were allophones of one
phoneme: /f/. It was pronounced [v] between vowels (or ♦ In many translations we find the construction the which as the
maybe bw all sonorants) and pronounced [f] correspondent for the French Lequel. That form was very often used by
elsewhere. This is why we still have wife ~ wives, roof ~ Caxton.
rooves, hoof ~ hooves … ♦ Typically French expressions consisting in combining an Infinitive
♦ Palatal Affricate sounds [tS] & [dZ] are also introduced by and a gerund were copied by the English → Come singing.
French. ♦ English suffered the leveling of vowels which produced loss of
gender and inflection. Syntactic structures, thus, become stricter.
♦ Stress: OE stress was generally fixed on the root syllable.
English has to compensate this loss by developing their prepositional
However, with the large influx of Norman French words, English
system. As a result, they took some Pps from French → Considering,
adopted the Romance stress patterns, which accepts variable
stress patterns (so, the same word, with a different grammatical during, except, concerning, notwithstanding and PpPs → In general, in
function [Noun to verb] can have different stress patterns). effect, in fact, indeed …

- Vocabulary
♦ The ME period (1150-1500) was a period of great changes in the English Lg, both in its grammar & in its vocabulary, making a highly
inflected Lg into an analytic one due to the decay of inflectional endings. The grammatical changes that English underwent after the Norman
Conquest were only indirectly due to the use of French in England. However, French influence is much more direct on the vocabulary:
a) THE FIRST PERIOD (1066 – 1250): Norman French borrowings (<C-> /k/ Æ Castle; <W-> Æ Warden). The borrowings from the first stage
differ from those of the second in being much less numerous, in being more likely to show peculiarities of Anglo-Norman phonology.
___ words that the lower classes would become familiar with through contact with a French speaking nobility → Baron, Noble, Dame,
Servant, Messenger, Feast, Minstrel, juggler.

b) THE SECOND PERIOD (1250-1400): Central French loans (<Ch-> /S/ Æ Chateau; <Gu> Æ Guard). After 1250, the conditions for borrowing
from French words changed: those who were used to speaking in French were starting to use English. Whether to supply deficiencies in
the English vocabulary or in their own imperfect command of that vocabulary, the upper classes introduced into English a great deal of
common French words. The French loan-words introduced in this period can be classified into the following semantic groups:
♦ Governmental and administrative words. ♦ Ecclesiastical Words.
UK owe many of its words dealing with government & administration The importance of this class of borrowing is due to the importance of
to the Lg of those who made public affairs for over 200 years. the church as a main obj of Norman interest and ambition.
> GNRL TERMS: Administer, assembly, alliance, court, council, empire, > GENERAL TERMS: Religion, confession, prayer, sermon, homily,
exchequer, government, majesty, reign, royal, state, tax, treaty … sacrament, communion, Psalmody …
> OFFICE TITLES: office, chancellor, chamberlain, marshal, minister, > FUNDAMENTAL RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS: Creator, trinity, Virgin, Saint,
governor, mayor, constable, coroner … heresy, temptation, penitence, devotion, sacrilege, immortality …
> DESIGNATION OF RANK: Peer, Prince, Duke, Baron, Count, courtier … > INDICATION OF RANK: Clergy, Cardinal, Dean, Friar, Pastor, novice …
> TITLES OF RESPECT: Sir, Madam, Mistress > GENERAL VIRTUES: Charity, obedience, piety, mercy, sanctity …
> VS: Preach, confess, sacrifice, adore, convert, repent …

♦ Fashion, meals and social life. ♦ Domestic economy and social life:
> GENERAL TERMS: fashion, button, collar, satin, jewel, plume > ARTICLES OF COMFORT: Cushion, towel, lamp, lantern …
> COLOURS: Blue, scarlet, vermillion, brown … > ENTERTAINMENT: dance, music, leisure, melody …
> PRECIOUS STONE: Amethyst, pearl, emerald, coral, turquoise, ruby … > HUNTING & RIDING: Terrier, Falcon, Pheasant …

♦ Animals and meals. ♦ Art, learning & medicine.

> GENERAL TERMS: Sugar, salad, toast, olives, cream, dinner … > ARTS: Art, Sculpture, figure, painting, music, tone, colour …
> FISH: sardine, salmon, Oyster … > ARCHITECTURE: Cathedral, mansion, ceiling, chimney, tower …
> MEATS: Bacon, Pork, sausage … > LITERATURE: Literature, tragedy, poet, rime, prose …
> FRUIT: lemon, tart, orange, cherry, pomegranate … > LEARNING: Grammar, geometry, logic, study, gender …
> CONDIMENTS: Herb, vinegar, clove, thyme, mustard … > MEDICINE: Arsenic, anatomy, stomach …

♦ Legal terms: ♦ Military terms:

French was the Lg of the law courts for so long that great part of the the arts of war have undergone such changes since then that many of
English legal vocabulary comes from French. these words are obsolete or only in historical use.
> GENERAL TERMS: Justice, Bill, evidence, judge, punishment, jury, > GENERAL TERMS: Army, peace, battle, defence, ambush, navy,
crime, equity, verdict … enemy, siege, soldier, combat, spy …
> NAMES OF CRIMES: Felony, fraud, assault, Adultery, perjury … > NAMES OF OFFICERS: Captain, sergeant, lieutenant
> VS ASSOCIATED WITH LEGAL PROCESSES: Accuse, arrest, judge,
plead, condemn, convict, imprison, pardon …
> WORDS RELATED TO PROPERTY: property, heritage, patrimony, heir,
legacy, tenant …

Iván Matellanes’ Notes