Blame the French

Abstract

This chapter explains the role of the French in the weirdness of English. In 1066, William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy, came over from France to defeat the English king and claim the throne. For the next few hundred years, England was controlled by French speakers. But the majority of people in England, those who did not rule, preach, study, or own land, did not become French speakers. Nevertheless, the ruling language managed to mix its way in. Because they controlled all official institutions, the vocabulary of government, law, and land administration came to be overwhelmingly rooted in Norman influence. Ultimately, the French transformed the vocabulary of English not just by introducing French words in almost every aspect of life, but also by providing an easy gateway to Latin borrowing and word creation. The French also introduced new word stress patterns that created confusion and splits based on stress alone, and left behind old word forms and phrase ordering. It even encouraged the development of a new English speech sound with its own letter, v.