General characteristics

 the beginning of a new social and linguistic era  Middle English runs from the beginning of the 12 th century until the middle if the 15 th  the Chancery Standard  the 1470s - the printing press introduced in England by William Caxton

 THE SECOND DANISH INVASION  ETHELRED  CNUT  The council of wise men chose Edward (the Confessor)

 Spent half his life in exile in Normandy (northern France) (while Cnut and sons ruled England)  Placed Norman friends in high offices in England  Had little interest in ruling the country  Moved the capital from Winchester to London  Died in 1066, leaving no children and no clear choice of heir

 Harold  the Battle of Hastings

 English and Scandinavian - related languages, diverged only a few hundred years before  a pidgin variety of speech  William of Normandy’s accession  French-speaking barons brought over their own retinues  French-speaking abbots and bishops

 condition of a multilingual society in which different languages occupy different social niches - different functions:

French ‘High’ functions:  ‘high’ culture: government, law, religion, education, literature, science, the arts, ‘high society’ English ‘Low’ functions:  ‘common folk’: home speech, folk/popular songs, tales, everyday commerce

1. Language effects of the Scandinavian invasion. 2. Language effects of the Norman Conquest. 3. Middle English dialects.

 South Western  South Eastern  Northern  West Midland  East Midland

 King John of England  King Philip of France  the Hundred Years War ( )