French and English during Norman Conquest诺曼征服时期的英语与法语

1、French and English During Norman Conquest,contents,1.The History Background 1.1 The Normans 1.2 The Norman Conquest 2. Language Contact During Norman Conquest 2.1 The Domination of French in England 2.2 Fusion of the French and English Over Time 2.2.1 Knowledge of English among the Upper Class 2.2.2

2、 Knowledge of French among the Middle Class 3. About Loanwords From French 3.1 Borrowing Words Show French Cultures Influence on British Culture 3.2 Borrowing Words Show the Improvement of National Relationship 4. Why didnt French Replace English 5. Conclusion,The Normans were descended from Norse V

3、iking(北欧海盗). Early 10th Century，they came and settled in northern France, which was called Normandy. They themselves came to be called the Normans, meaning Northman. They adopted the French language and French civilization.,1. History Background,1.1 The Normans,Edward the Confessor (10421066) the En

4、glish King died in 1066 without an heir three claimants to the throne Harold（哈罗德） the kings wifes brother. William Duke of Normandy, Edwards cousin Harald （哈拉尔德） King of Norway,1.2 The Norman Conquest,William, the Duke of Normany - winner The Norman Conquest William was made king, crowned in westins

5、ter Abbey on Christmas Day, 1066.,Iam William,2. Language Contact During Norman Conquest,2.1 The Domination of French in England,Elite Replacement： Eliminating the old English aristocracy Removing natives from high governmental and ecclesiastical office,Frist, as rulers, they were sufficiently predo

6、minant to continue to use their own language. second, the royal family were continentally minded. They felt more closely attached to their hometown than to England. Evidence: William the Conqueror buried in Normandy, he divided his possessions at his death, giving Normandy to his eldest son, and Eng

7、land to his second son. Except for Henry I, no English king till Edward IV (1461-1483) sought a wife in England. Most importantly, the king and the nobles often had to go back to handle affairs in Normandy. They spent less time in England.,Factors promoting the Normans to continue using French,For a

8、lmost three hundred years French was the official language of administration: it was the language of kings court, the law courts, the church, the army and etc. The intellectual life, literature and education were in the hands of French-speaking people. French, alongside Latin, was the language of wr

9、iting. While English was reduced English as a tongue used only by common illiterate people and not fit for writing.,2.1 The Domination of French in England,2.2 Fusion of the French and English Over Time,It is unreasonable to expect a conquered people to feel no resentment or the Norman never to be h

10、aughty or overbearing. In a long period of time after the conquest, English and French were languages of two distinct ethnic groups, the two languages existed side by side without mingling. Then, slowly they began to permeate each other.,2.2.1 Knowledge of English Among the Upper Class,French was th

11、e language of the court and the upper class while English was the language of common people. So it may be likely that many of the upper class would know some English when they ruled the country of which greater part of the population speak English.,2.2.1 Knowledge of English Among the Upper Class,It

12、 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.,Evidence,2.2.1 Knowledge of English Among the Upper Class,Henry II himself understood English though he did not speak it, whe

13、reas his wife alway required an interpreter when people spoke English to her.,Evidence,2.2.1 Knowledge of English Among the Upper Class,English survived for a considerable time in some monasteries, at least until 1154. Among churchmen the ability to speak English was fairly common. For example, the

14、bishop of London, a man of Norman descent, was fluent in English, in addition to French and Latin.,Evidence,2.2.1 Knowledge of English Among the Upper Class,From these instances, we can know that a knowledge of English was not uncommon, though not universal among the Upper Class at the end of the tw

15、elfth century.,Conclusion,4. Knowledge of French Among the Middle Class,We have mentioned that by the end of the twelfth century the knowledge of English was not unusual among members of the highest class, it seems equally clear that the knowledge of French was often found somewhat further down in t

16、he social scale- the Middle Class-who were brought into association with the governing class,4. Knowledge of French Among the Middle Class,Among the knightly class French seems to have been cultivated even when the mother tongue was English. In the reign of Henry II a knight in England got a man fro

17、m Normandy to teach his son French. An ability to speak French was expected among this class.,Evidence,In many towns, especially in important trading centers, men with Norman names were the most prominent burgesses(市民) and probably constituted a majority of the merchant class.,4. Knowledge of French

18、 Among the Middle Class,Evidence,French was used by the merchant middle class as a language of business communication, especially when it traded with the continent,4. Knowledge of French Among the Middle Class,Evidence,Among men of lower rank, whose position brought them into contact with both the u

19、pper and the lower class, stewards(管家） and bailiffs（法警）, the ability to speak English as well as French must have been quite general. In fact a knowleage of French may sometimes have extended to the free tenants(佃户).,4. Knowledge of French Among the Middle Class,There was likewise a considerable num

20、ber who were bilingual as well as many who had some understanding of both languages while speaking only one. Among people accustomed to learn more through the ear than through the eye, learning a second language presents no great problem.,Conclusion,3. About Loanwords,English changed a lot due to th

21、e influence of Norman Conquest. It changed from its old form to its middle form. The most obvious influence of French on English is vocabulary.,Words about Religion: cardinal, chaplain, clergy, dean, convent, trinity, virgin, saint Words used in Law: bar, suit, plea, court, defendant, jail, judge, j

22、ury, bailiff(法警), attorney Words about Military: navy, peace, enemy, battle, lieutenant, sergeant（军士）, troops Words about Politics: empire, royal, governent, administer, treaty, realm, authority, tyrant, oppress, traitor, liberty, etc Words about Economy (trade terminology): tailor, custom, bargain,

23、 baker, skinner, miller, mercer（绸缎商人，布商）, purchase, value, price, profession,Words used in superstructure,Daily life,Clothing：fashion, dress, fur, sable（黑貂皮） Jewelry：ornament, jewel, ruby, diamond Diet：gruel, toast, biscuit, cream, sugar, salad, grape, boil, stew, mince（切碎） Family life：curtain, chai

24、r, pantry（餐具室）, scullery （碗碟洗涤处；炊具碗碟存放室） Recreation：dance, leisure, carol Art and Science：painting, sculpture, palace, column, poet, romance, title, volume Medicine：physician, surgeon, plague, remedy,3.1 Borrowing Words Show French Cultures Influence on British Culture,Language is part of a nations

25、culture, so Frenchs influence on English language itself is a kind of culture influence.,3.1 Borrowing Words Show French Cultures Influence on British Culture,Frenchs influence on English language also show the Normans influence on British culture, because the influence can always find a thorough ex

26、pression in the language.,3.1 Borrowing Words Show French Cultures Influence on British Culture,The peerage culture: After the Conquest, Normans occupied the positions of the old nobles. The name of nobility title was replaced French words. Among duke, duchess, marquis, marchioness, earl, countess,

27、viscount, viscountess, baron, baroness, only earl is English words while others all come from French. The Normans brought their own names-William and Richard and Robert replacing Ethelred and Godwin. Food Culture: France is famous for its vine. Today there is a famous vine brand in Britain named “be

28、afeater”, which is the emblem of the palace guards of William the conqueror.,Evidences,3.2 Borrowing Words Show the Improvement of National Relationship,Borrowings were just generated from the interaction between the two nations. On the one hand, The newcomers were not hostile to the English languag

29、e. On the other hand, seeing the Normans effective management, more and more natives accepted the new social order. The national relationship was improved.,Within a century of the invasion, intermarriage between the native English and the Norman immigrants had become common. By the early 1160s,Ailre

30、d of Rievaulxwas writing that intermarriage was common in all levels of society. In the reign of Henry I, there was a aclear stipulation that the normans and the British people are equal before the law.,3.2 Borrowing Words Show the Improvement of National Relationship,Evidences,4. Why didnt French R

31、eplace English,In many countries around the world, especially in Africa, the people speak both an indigenous language and French due to French colonization. But the French only left England with a vastly different language from what it started with. Why English was not replaced by French?,Reasons:,1

32、. Its difficult for the language spoken by the minority to replace the language spoken by the majority. Modern scholars estimate that the initial migration of Normans into England after the Conquest was no more than 20,000 people including the army, a number that was roughly 1.3% of Englands populat

33、ion.,French mounted soldiers at Hastings from the Bayeux Tapestry: Not Numerous Enough,Reasons:,2. There was another language Latin influencing British society, not just French. Consequently, another 25% English vocabulary is Latin.,English before the Conquest was one of the few vernacular languages

34、 in Europe that actually had a fairly vibrant literary culture: Anglo-Saxon kings were mostly literate, and some of them like King Alfred the Great actually made translations of Latin classics into Old English.,Statue of King Alfred the Great at Winchester. Alfred translated Boethius Consolation of

35、Philosophy into Old English.,Whats more, the Normans also brought Latin. InFrance, almost nothing was at that time being recorded in the vernacular because Latinwas the language of the nobility, education, commerce and theRoman Catholic Church, and was thus used for the purpose of records. From the conquest (1066) unti