American Conquest Research Paper

At the end of the Old English period an event took place, which had a major impact on the English language. This event was the Norman Conquest. The Norman Conquest occurred in 1066. The beginning of the Middle English period occurred right after the end of this conquest. The Norman Conquest contributed greatly to the English language and vocabulary. If this event did not occur, the English language would probably have taken another path. If William the Conqueror had not succeeded by taking the English throne. The English Language would most likely lack the English “look”, and be more of a Romance language. There were different events that did affect the English language, but did not have as much as an great impact like the Norman Conquest had

Since the Normans were living in France, they soon began to pick up the French culture and customs. There were two major rulers during this time. Edward the Confessor who was more French influenced then English, because he was in France. When Edward the Confessor died, William the Conqueror took over. The rule of William the Conquer brought a lot of changes to the social, political, and most importantly the linguistics of the English language. The Norman Conquest did not only bring in a new life, but also a new way of speaking. Since the Normans were French, their first language was French. French was the language more so for those of the ruling class and their servants. All the kings of England spoke French as their first language. Important documents such as literature, legal proceedings, and much more were written in French. French became the language of power. French was merely used by people who held important positions. The status of the French language is comparable to the importance of the English language. The upper class did not see the need for the English language, because such of an impact that the French language had. Nonetheless, the Normans still made an impact on the influence of the English