The Norman Conquest and the Use of French in England Flashcards
How did Old English evolved?
It evolved by being heavily influenced by their contact with Latin due to the spread of Christianity and the Norse that came along with the Viking Invasion
How did the grammar changed from all these changes?
It added inflections such as the plural and 3rd person singular -s
In this period of time, language served as a ____
tool of communication and a way to shape cultural identity
What is one of the biggest contributions of Latin?
The introduction of the Latin Alphabet
What begun with the alphabet coming into English?
The writen tradition, replacing the runic system
What was essential to the production and preservation of written texts?
Monasteries
What effect had the conversion to Christianity?
It helped the translation of religious texts and the recording of laws and historical events, since it introduced Latin and the Bible
Who helped the development of the English prose?
King Alfred and Bede
Battle in which England fakes a retreat because they got a disadvantage and attack from behind
Battle of Hastings
The language of law and politics
French
The language of the church
Latin
The language of the people
Vernacular English
How did the Norman Conquest changed politics?
Most of the Anglo-Saxon nobility got killed to put the Norman higher class
Who was the Anglo-Saxon nobility from France in charge of introducing French high society?
Edward the Confessor
What was the impact of French in gender and syntax?
The elimination of gender and the possibility of switching the word order, as well as inflections
What are the most recurrent themes in French borrowed vocabulary?
Law and power
