Re-establishment of English (1200 - 1500) Flashcards
What events are related to the loss of Normandy? (3)
- (Bad) King John married Isabel of Angoulême (who was betrothed to French nobleman Hugh of Lusignan).
- Nobility gradually lost their continental estates.
- Philip King of France made English nobility choose between French liege or English liege.
What kind of French was spoken in England between 1200 - 1500? (+ explanation = 2)
Artificial French because of the lack of native speakers and the rise of English as the mothertongue it had become a second language.
The Black death reduced the numbers of the lower classes disproportionately and yet indirectly increased the importance of the language that they spoke. Why was this so? (3)
- The importance of the language is largely determined by the people who speak it.
- The condition of the labouring classes was rapidly improving.
- Villeinage was dying out.
What is a villein? 1
a peasant (tenant farmer) in the feudal system who was legally tied to a lord of the manor. A villein was thus a bonded tenant, so he could not leave the land without the landowner’s consent. a feudal serf & a peasant personally bound to his lord
What is a freeman? 1
a free tenant
- rented land with low rents which they paid to their manorial lord.
- subject to fewer laws and ties than villeins.
What is an escheat? 1
reversion of property to the state & reversion of land held under feudal tenure (after death the property or land automatically returns in ownership to the government or lord)
What is a vassal? 1
a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in exchange for certain privileges, usually including land held as a tenant or fief.
What is a fief? 1
Parcel of land that is given/rented out to a vassal.
What does English literature between 1150-1350 tell us about the changing fortunes of the English language? 2
* Records are fairly accurate about the changing fortunes of English. * Religious bodies were now writing in English.
What effect did the loss of Normandy have on the nobility of France and England and consequently on the English language? 3 + 2
- French was seen as the language of the enemy.
- Increased nationalism
- Nobility needed to choose between King of all England en King of France as liege
=> Consequence was that English became the primary language for communication in England.
=> Nobility had their children been taught in English.
In what way did the Hundred Years’ War probably contribute to the decline of French in England? 3
- French was the language of the enemy
- Nationalism emerged in England (against the French)
- Link between English and French noblemen became weaker
The arrival of foreigners during Henry III’s reign undoubtedly delayed the spread of English among the upper classes. In what ways did these events actually benefit the English language? 5
- Henry III was completely French in his taste and connections. He married Eleanor of Provence
- Brought relatives over from France = they got the good jobs
- Led to hostility towards the French + stimulated the consciousness of being English
- Barons’ War to regain better positions for English noblemen
- Speaking English was a sign of rebellion against king and his family
Peasants’ Revolt was a direct consequence of … 1
- Discontent
- Poll taxes; they had to pay money to be able to vote
Which form of the adjective became the form for all cases by the case by the close of the Middle English period? 3
* The nominative singular was extended to all cases of the singular * The nominative plural to all cases of the plural * Both in the strong and weak declensions Example: Ye Olde Shoppe
To what extent did the Norman Conquest affect the grammar of English? 2
- Removed the conservative influences that are always felt when a language is extensively used in books and is only spoken by the influential educated class.
- Reduced English from a highly inflected language to an extremely analytic one.
