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It wasn't so much that they WANTED to become bilingual. The Normans spoke French, so when they conquered and took over, they insisted the preexisting Saxon nobility, who spoke a form of Germanic known as Old English, had to learn how to speak French too or else they could not participate in matters of state. It caused a lot of animosity between Saxons and Normans.

This influx of French culture into England shifted the language from Old English into Middle English, a mix of old Germanic influences and French influences. That is why English has many words for the same thing, yet Germanic terms are considered simplistic, and French-origin terms are considered poetic. For instance, the night sky can be "black," a Germanic term, or it can be "sable," an Old French term.

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