The Official Language of England Was Once French!

In fact, even though what we are saying dates back centuries, it is almost We are talking about 300 years.

OK then Has English gone out of business? Why was there such a radical change in history? There is an answer for all of them!

First of all, we need some historical information to understand the subject.

A people who were a mixture of Franks and Scandinavians in 1066. Norman invasion of England, It caused profound changes in British society. After ruling the region, the Normans began to use French, the language of the upper classes, and Latin, the language of the church, in government and official affairs.

This caused English to become a language used only by the lower classes. However number of Normans, There were never enough to overwhelm the natives. Therefore, both the Normans and the native English became bilingual.

After William I invaded England, he began to settle the Normans in the country, thus paving the way for changes.

One of these changes as the language of the noble elite, the court and the government It was the adoption of Norman French. Thus, French words began to spread in England. There has been a tremendous increase especially in the change of children’s names.

William, Robert, Richard Names like these were heard more frequently now. Although there will be a dramatic change in society, it will be difficult to say that English has completely disappeared from daily life.

In this process, Old English became known as Middle English; French also became an Anglo-Norman dialect.

Rivalry between England and France As it increased, there was a conflict between the two spoken languages. As time went by, the ruling classes began to emphasize British identity. During this period, King of England III. Henry began giving his sons English names, and official documents were now published in English as well as French.

Edward I Even the French-speaking king warned the people about the danger of extinction of the English language. IV. Henry became the first king of England to choose English.

The conflict between English and French continued for years. Now Although English has gained its universality No matter how you look at it, French was an important language spoken in England for 300 years. But lo and behold, English won the war.

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