How did the battle of hastings change English language?

Answer 1

because the king who won control of england was french and most people working for politics or something in that reagon had to speak french, words of french gradually settled in. And if you were a market seller they wouldnt buy unless you said french names like poulet (chicken)

Answer 2

Yes. The Normans were Vikings who had settled in Northern France 200 years before, and had taken up French as theirlanguage. So totally had they given up their language that today not a single Norse word is used in Normandy today. This is pretty remarkable because the Normans gave over 10,000 words to English. As a result of William winning at Hastings no king of England spoke English for another 300 years. It wasn't until 1399 with Henry IV that England had a English speaking king. One by one through the years English earls and bishops had been replaced by Normans until all the nobility spoke French. Only the common people spoke English ( even today the Queen has her menus in French). An interesting development happened with names in this French/ English mix. The more humble trades had Anglo-Saxon names ( baker, miller, shoemaker) while the more skilled trades adopted French names ( mason, painter, tailor.) At the same time animals in the fields were called by English names ( sheep, cow, ox) but once they were cooked and served they were given French names ( beef, mutton, veal, and bacon). Norman French made a lasting impact on English vocabulary, and we still use Norman French words such as justice, jury, felony, traitor, petty, damage, prison, marriage, govern, prince. In fact all of our words dealing with courts and justice are of French origin. At the same time many English words were taken by the French as well. Gradually, English reasserted itself, some French remained until 1362 but only for official purposes. A letter from Henry IV in 1403 shows him writing in both French and English. By the late 12th century some Norman children were having to be taught French before they could go to school, and by the 14th century Oxford University required students to know some French. So, did the invasion of the Normans affect language ? It sure did and still does today.