faculty of arts english language and culture

Sociolinguistics Week 2
Alexandra Versluijs

Old English 2; and Middle English

Question 1
Imagine that the Scandinavian linguistic invasion had not taken place. There were never
any Vikings, Norsemen, or Danes who settled in England. Can you argue what the
linguistic picture would have been now?
If the Scandinavian linguistic invasion had not taken place, the number of settlements
with Danish names (Derby, Grimbsby, Rugby) would disappear, together with personal
names of Scandinavian origin. Furthermore, due to the impact they had on the general
vocabulary, words like skin, skirt and leg would be replaced with hide, shirt and bone.
Words like both, same, get and give, and personal pronouns like they, them and their
would also be fundamentally different. Moreover, the verb to be would also be different
since Old Norse influenced it.

Question 2
On page 35 of Crystal, John of Trevisa, in 1385, comments on language teaching
policy. What are the implications for children, schools and the mother tongue which he
outlines?
The implications for children, schools and the mother tongue were that children were
compelled to abandon their own language, and to carry on their lessons and their
affairs in French. They were also taught to speak French from the moment of their
birth. Schools, however, changed the teaching in grammar school and the construing of
French into English.

Question 3
The following extract is by Osbern Bokenham, an Augustinian friar, who wrote in 1440.
What is his argument?
English as a language was corrupted by the Danish and Norman. This was increased
by the arrival of William the Conqueror: children in the grammar schools should
forsake their own mother tongue and learn their text books (latin) in French.
Furthermore, all children of all the nobles were first set to lean, speak and write
French before they could speak English. Seeing this, the rural people thought they
would be more honourable if they would also abandon their mother tongue and speak
French instead. However, in doing this, they destroyed both languages.

And this corrupcioun of Englysshe men yn ther modre-tounge, begunne as I seyde with
famylyar commixtion of Danys firste and of Normannys aftir, toke grete augmentacioun
and encrees aftir the commyng of William conquerour by two thyngis. The firste was:
by decree and ordynaunce of the seide William conqueror children in gramer-scolis
ageyns the consuetude and the custom of all other nacyons, here owne modre-tonge
lafte and forsakyn, lernyd here Donet (Latin text book) on Frenssh and to construyn yn
Frenssh and to maken here Latyns on the same wyse. The secounde cause was that by
the same decree lordis sonys and all nobyll and worthy mennys children were fyrste set

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to lyrnyn and speken Frensshe, or than they coywde spekyn Ynglyssh and that all
wrytyngis and endentyngis and all maner plees and contrauercyes in courtis of the law,
and all maner reknyngis and countis yn howsoolde schulde be doon yn the same. And
this seeyinge, the rurales, that they myghte semyn the more worschipfull and
honourable and the redliere comyn to the famyliarite of the worthy and the grete, leftyn
hure modre tounge and labouryd to kunne spekyn Frenssh: and thus by processe of tyme
barbarised thei in bothe wryttyn and spokyn neythyr good Frenssh nor good Englyssh.

Question 4
Compare the situation discussed in the above abstracts with that currently active in
Dutch schools and universities, where the use of English is increasing.
Considering the fact that English is being used more and more in Dutch schools and
universities, the situation discussed above seems more relevant than ever. We almost
seem to forsake the Dutch language, just like English in the abstract, and replace it
with another language. This could mean that Dutch will not be the first language that
children will learn after they are born, something which could prove to be troublesome
to the Dutch language as we know it.

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