The Influence of

the Normans on
the English
Language
 The Norman conquest of
England began on 28
September 1066 with the
invasion of England by William,
Duke of Normandy, who
became known as William the
Conqueror after his victory at
the Battle of Hastings on 14
October 1066, defeating the
then king Harold II of England.
 The Norman conquest was a pivotal
event in English history. It largely
removed the native ruling class,
replacing it with a foreign, French-
speaking monarchy, aristocracy, and
clerical hierarchy. This, in turn,
brought about a transformation of the
English language and the culture of
England in a new era often referred
to as Norman England.
 Language
One of the most obvious changes was
the introduction of Anglo-Norman, a
northern dialect of Old French, as the
language of the classes in England,
displacing Old English. This
predominance was further reinforced and
complicated in the mid-twelfth century
by an influx of followers of the Angevin
dynasty, speaking a more mainstream
dialect of French.
 The Normans influence on the
English language was
GREAT!!!!!!!
A lot of words from French came into it, for
example:
village, army, soldier, religion,
venison, beef, etc.
Normans quickly adopted the language doil
of their new home and added features from
their own Norse language, transforming it
into the Norman language.
The structure of the language
remained English, and the
common words were often
somewhat modified in form.

Many terms employed by the

Normans were adopted into
the English language.
The Norman was influenced not on the
English Language but on the literature too:
chivalry was introduced into England
three languages existed in England. The
Normans spoke French, the lower class spoke
English, and the scholars and clergymen used
Latin.
the literature was varied in interest and
extensive in range
the prevailing form of literature is Romance.
 Conclusion:

The Norman Conquest was the last successful

invasion of England by a foreign claimant.
Others have tried such as the Spanish, the
French, the Germans and failed. We can
therefore look back on the Norman Conquest
as helping to shape the England of the present.
The importance of 1066 is seen in the
permanence of those changes.
 Links:
1. http://www.slideshare.net/bubblegum_girls/no
rman-conquest-7525124
2. http://ppt4web.ru/anglijjskijj-jazyk/istory-
mystery-of-te-englis-language.html
3. http://geoffboxell.tripod.com/words.htm
Thank you
for
your
attention!!!