Middle English

Edward the Confessor’s Heirs n Godwin, Earl of Wessex, and his son Harold n William, Duke of Normandy n Harald III (Sigurdsson) Hårdråde, King of Norway

Norman Conquest (1066) n January -- Death of Edward the Confessor n Harold Godwinson’s election as King n Sept King Harold III of Norway’s attack at Stamford Bridge n Oct William of Normandy’s attack at Hastings n Christmas William’s coronation in London

The Normans n Viking extraction n French language n French loyalties n French customs

Norman Settlement n New nobility n New bishops n New systems of inheritance n New conventions of spelling

The Norman Conquest and French Scribes n ch ( = Old English “c”) n th ( = Old English “þ” and “ð”) n sh ( = Old English “sc”) n gh ( = Old English “h”) n wh ( = Old English “hw”) n c ( = Old English “k”) n ou ( = Old English “u”)

British Colonial Experience n Pidgins n Creoles

Middle English as Creole n cow/beef n hog/pork n wheat/flour n deer/venison

Middle English (Pyles and Algeo, p. 164) n Loss of most Old English inflections n Loss of grammatical gender of Old English n Loss of native Old English words n Influx of Norman French words

Threat of French Dominance n William of Normandy’s attachment to France (Normandy to his eldest son) n Increasing number of royal possessions in France (Anjou, Aquitaine, etc.) n Royal wives from France (Poitou, Provence, etc.)

Norman French Influence n Law courts (judge, jury, plea, plaintiff, attorney, guilty, bar, etc.) n Schools (art, music, image, column, poet, title, volume, chapter, study, logic, etc.) n Medicine (surgeon, physician, malady, pain, stomach, ointment, plague, poison, etc.)

Norman French Influence (cont.) n Government (crown, state, empire, realm, royal, prince, scepter, majesty, etc.) n Church (religion, theology, sermon, prayer, clergy, chaplain, pastor, friar, hermit, etc.) n Military (army, navy, peace, enemy, battle, combat, siege, defense, retreat, etc.) n Fashion (garment, cape, coat, boots, blue, brown, jewel, feast, cream, spice, etc.)

End of French Influence n John Lackland’s loss of Normandy n separation of English and French nobility n influx of foreigners at English court with French wives of John Lackland and Henry III n Hundred Years’ War ( ) n Statute of Pleading n by English in schools again

Flowering of Middle English n Chaucer n Gower n Pearl poet n Cycle plays