语言文化论文-法语对英语的影响.doc

语言文化论文-法语对英语的影响AbstractBothFrenchandEnglishbelongtotheIndo-EuropeanFamily.SincetheMiddleEnglishperiodFrenchhashadstronginfluenceonEnglish.TheinfluenceoftheFrenchlanguageupontheEnglishlanguagecanbedividedintotwomainstages.Thefirstoneisfrom1066to1500.ThedecisivefactorduringthistimeistheNormanConquest.AlargenumberofFrenchwordspouredintoEnglishasapartofEnglishetymology,extendinginfluencetogrammar,spelling,pronunciationandword-formation.ThesecondstageisfromEuropeanRenaissancetothepresentglobalization.Withtheincreasingcommunicationamongeconomy,cultureandtechnology,manyforeignborrowingshavebeenimportedfromdifferentcountries.FrenchasaborrowingcontinuesitscontributiontotheEnglishvocabulary.Byanalyzingthefusionofthetwolanguages,thispapertriestopresentthevocabularyevolutionanditsculturalconnotation.KeyWordsFrench；English；vocabulary；influence；NormanConquest；naturalization【摘要】法语和英语同属于印欧语系,中古英语以来法语对英语就有着极其深刻的影响。法语对英语的影响主要分为两个阶段：第一阶段从1066年到1500年,在这一阶段诺曼征服是其决定性的因素。大量的法语词汇进入英语，构成了英语词源的一部分。其影响涉及语法、拼写、语音以及构词等方面。第二阶段是从欧洲的文艺复兴到现在加速世界一体化的信息时代。各国之间的文化相互渗透，经济、文化、科技密切联系。许多国家的词汇进入英语，法语作为外来语继续丰富着英语的词汇。本文通过分析两种语言的融合来探讨词汇的发展演变过程及其所反映的历史文化色彩。【关键词】法语；英语；词汇；影响；诺曼征服；归化1.IntroductionThedevelopmentofacertainlanguagehasalonghistory.Itsinevitablethatdifferentlanguagesinfluenceandpenetrateeachotherintheirformationanddevelopment.Inaddition,aparticularlanguageassimilatestherefinedportionofotherlanguagestoenrichitself.Englishisthetypicalrepresentativeofthiskindoflanguage.Asacosmopolitanlanguage,Englishhasbeengreatlyinfluencedbyvariouslanguages,especiallybyFrench.SincetheMiddleEnglishperiodFrenchhadastronginfluenceonEnglish.TheinfluenceoftheFrenchlanguageupontheEnglishlanguagecanbedividedintotwomainstages.ThefirststageisfromNormanConquestto1500.OneofthemostinfluentialfactorsistheNormanConquest.AtthisstagetheFrenchwasusedbytheupperclassatfirst,andthenthetwolanguagesfusedtogetherandatlasttheFrenchwasacknowledgedbycommonpeople.Thesecondstageisfrom1500tothepresenttime.Onthewholethemostdirectandobservableimpactmanifestsitselfonthewordborrowing.Thescaleofvocabularyiswide.Wecanfindwordsrelatingtoeveryaspectofhumansociety,ernment,law,religion,militaryaffairs,foodandsoon.Moreover,thedegreeofvocabularyinfluenceisconsiderable.Somewordsareassimilated；somenativewordsarelostwhileotherwordsmeaningsareexpanded.Besides,FrenchalsoinfluencesEnglishgrammar,spelling,pronunciationandword-formation.Andnowtheinfluenceisstillgoingon.2.Indo-EuropeanFamilyThelanguagesbroughtintorelationshipbydescentorprogressivedifferentiationfromaparentspeechareconvenientlycalledafamilyoflanguages.Itisassumedthatthereareroughly300languagefamiliesintheworld,andtheIndo-European,oneofthese,ismadeupofmostlanguagesofEurope,theNearEast,andIndia.TheparenttonguefromwhichtheIndo-Europeanlanguageshavesprunghadalreadybecamedividedandscatteredbeforethedawnofhistory.Thesurvivinglanguagesshowvariousdegreesofsimilaritiestooneanother,thesimilaritybearingamoreorlessdirectrelationshiptotheirgeographicaldistribution.Theyaccordinglyfallintoelevenprincipalgroups:Indian,Iranian,Armenian,Hellenic,Albanian,Italic,Balto-Slavic,Germanic,Celtic,Hittite,andTocharian.1TheItalicbranchhasitscenterinItaly,andtomostpeopleItalyinancienttimessuggestsRomeandthelanguageofRome,Latin.ThevariouslanguagesthatrepresentthesurvivalofLatininthedifferentpartsoftheRomeEmpireareknownastheRomanceorRomaniclanguages.ThemostextensiveoftheRomancelanguagesareFrench,Spanish,Portuguese,andItalian.ThecommonformthatthelanguagesoftheGermanicbranchhadbeforetheybecamedifferentiatedisknownasGermanicorProto-Germanic.Thelanguagesdescendedfromitfallintothreegroups:EastGermanic,NorthGermanic,andWestGermanic.WestGermanicisthegrouptowhichEnglishbelongs.2Inshort,bothFrenchandEnglishbelongtotheIndo-EuropeanFamily.3.ManyEnglishwordscomingfromotherlanguages,especiallyfromFrenchAsweknow,theEnglishlanguageisofamixedcharacter.Ononehand,itshareswithWestGermaniclanguagesmanycommonwordsandsimilargrammaticalstructures.Ontheotherhand,morethanhalfoftheEnglishvocabularyisderivedfromLatin,Greek,notablyFrench.4.TheinfluenceoftheFrenchlanguageupontheEnglishlanguage4.1Thesocialbackgroundoftheinfluence4.1.1TheoriginofNormandyOnthenortherncoastofFranceisadistrictknownasNormandy.ItderivesitsnamefromthebandsofNorthmenwhosettledthereintheninthandtenthcenturies.TheNormanshadsoonabsorbedthemostimportantelementsofFrenchcivilization.TheygaveuptheirownlanguageandlearnedFrench.ForsomeyearsbeforetheNormanConquesttherelationsbetweenEnglandandNormandyhadbeenfairlyclose.In1002rhelredtheUnreadyhadmarriedaNormanwifeandtheirsonEdward,whohadthusbeenbroughtupinFrance,wasalmostmoreFrenchthanEnglish.In1042,EdwardwasrestoredtothethroneandhebroughtwithhimanumberofhisNormanfriendsandgavethemimportantplacesinthegovernment.AstrongFrenchatmospherepervadedtheEnglishcourtduringthetwenty-fouryearsofhisreign.4.1.2TheNormaninvasionAthissuccessionthemostinfluentialnoblewasGodwin,earloftheWestSaxonearldom.Hiseldestson,Harold,waselectedkingwhenEdwarddiedin1066.Buthiselectiondidnotlonggounchallenged.William,thedukeofNormandyatthistime,wasasecondcousintothelateking.AlthoughthisrelationshipdidnotgivehimanyrightofinheritancetotheEnglishthrone,hehadneverthelessbeenlivinginexpectationofbecomingEdwardssuccessor.Hehopedtoobtainthecrownbyforce.OnSeptember1066,WilliamlandedatPevensey,onthesouthcoastofEngland,withaformidableforce.HaroldwaskilledduringthebattleandtheEnglishweresooninfullretreat.OnChristmasDay1066,WilliamwascrownedkingofEngland.4.1.3TheNormanSettlementWilliamspossessionofthethronehadbeenamatterofconquestandwasattendedbyalltheconsequencesoftheconquestofonepeoplebyanother.Oneofthemostimportantoftheseconsequenceswastheintroductionofanewnobility.ForseveralgenerationsaftertheConquesttheimportantpositionsandthegreatestateswerealmostalwaysheldbyNormansormenofforeignblood.Similarly,Normanprelatesweregraduallyintroducedintoallimportantpositionsinthechurch.ItislesseasytospeakwithcertaintyoftheNormansinthelowerwalksoflifewhocameintoEnglandwithWilliamsarmy.Manyofthemdoubtlessremainedintheisland,andtheirnumberwasincreasedbyconstantaccretionsthroughouttherestoftheeleventhcenturyandthewholeofthenext.LikewisemerchantsandcraftsmenfromthecontinentseemtohavesettledinEnglandinconsiderablenumbers.ItisquiteimpossibletosayhowmanyNormansandFrenchpeoplesettledinEngland,butbecausethegoverningclassinbothchurchandstatewasalmostexclusivelymadeupfromamongthem,theirinfluencewasoutofallproportiontotheirnumber.4.2TheinfluenceofFrenchuponEnglishintheMiddleEnglishperiod4.2.1TheuseofFrenchbytheupperclassWhatevertheactualnumberofNormanssettledinEngland,itisclearthatthemembersofthenewrulingclassweresufficientlypredominanttocontinuetousetheirownlanguage.Thiswasnaturalenoughatfirst,astheyknewnoEnglish；buttheycontinuedtodosoforalongtimetocome,pickingupsomeknowledgeofEnglishgraduallybutmakingnoefforttodosoasamatterofpolicy.For200yearsaftertheNormanConquest,FrenchremainedthelanguageofordinaryintercourseamongtheupperclassesinEngland.ThenobilitychosetomaintainFrenchasthelanguageofsociety,administrationandcommerce.3AtfirstthosewhospokeFrenchwerethoseofNormanorigin,butsoonthroughintermarriageandassociationwiththerulingclassnumerouspeopleofEnglishextractionmusthavefoundittotheiradvantagetolearnthenewlanguage,andbeforelongthedistinctionbetweenthosewhospokeFrenchandthosewhospokeEnglishwasnotethnicbutlargelysocial.ThemostimportantfactorinthecontinueduseofFrenchbytheEnglishupperclassuntilthebeginningofthethirteenthcenturywasthecloseconnectionthatexistedthroughalltheseyearsbetweenEnglandandthecontinent.ThesubjugatedEnglishwerenotkilledoff,norweretheydrivenfromtheircountry.Theywererelegatedtothestatusofaninferiorpeople,goodswineherdsandservants.Therefore，Englandbecameabilingualcountry.TheNormansbelongedtoaraceofScandinavianorigin,butduringtheresidenceinNormandytheyhadgivenuptheirnativelanguageandhadadoptedtheFrenchdialectofthatregion.TheNormansintroducedintoEnglandavarietyoftheFrenchlanguagewecallNorman-French,theothervarietyisParisianFrench.BytheendofthethirteenthcenturyParisianFrenchbegantoenterEngland,andmorestillinthefifteenthcentury.AlargenumberofFrenchwordsmadetheirappearanceintheworksofChaucerandotherEnglishwriters,especiallyinmanyEnglishtranslationsofFrenchliteraryworkspublishedatthattime.4.2.2FusionofthetwopeoplesandtwolanguagesIntheyearsfollowingtheNormanConquestthestingofdefeatandthehardshipsincidenttosogreatapoliticalandsocialdisturbanceweregraduallyforgotten.Peopleacceptedtheneworderassomethingaccomplished；theyaccepteditasafactandadjustedthemselvestoit.ThefusionofNormansandEnglishwasrapid.AndtheearlyfusionofFrenchandEnglishinEnglandisquiteclearfromavarietyofevidences.ItisevidentinthemarriageofNormanstoEnglishwomen.ItisevidentfromthewayinwhichtheEnglishgavetheirsupporttotheirrulersandNormanprelates.Itisevidentinmanyotherways.Everywheretherearesignsofconvergence.4.2.3KnowledgeofFrenchamongthemiddleclassIfbytheendofthetwelfthcenturytheknowledgeofEnglishwasnotunusualamongmembersofthehighestclass,itseemsequallyclearthattheknowledgeofFrenchwasoftenfoundsomewhatfurtherdowninthesocialscale.InfacttheknowledgeofFrenchmaysometimeshaveextendedtothefreetenants.Sothetwolanguagesfusedtogetherandinfluencedeachother.4.2.4FrenchinfluenceonthevocabularyTheinfluenceoftheFrenchlanguageupontheEnglishlanguageisdirectandevident.Itismuchmoreobservablefromth