Middle english (1066-1500)

 

  William the Conqueror invades the Isles and conquers it.     ENGLISH GOES UNDERGROUND: · three languages in one country · numerous Middle English dialects highly diversified

Norman French borrowings   (semantic classes of words): Educational, military, religious, legal  terms, administrative words, dress-code, architecture, ranks.

Norman French – Parisian French etymological doublets*:

Re w ard-re g ard

Canal-channel

Captain-chieftain

Catch-chaise

French-English synonyms*:

Might-power

Ask-demand

Hair-leveret

Axe-hatchet

  The dynasty of Plantagenet is established on the throne     THE ENGLISH WRITTEN TRADITION DIES   NORMAN SCRIBES INTRODUCE CHANGES INTO ENGLISH SPELLING   The loss of England in war for Normandy, England lost all her lands on the continent     THE TURNING POINT: ENGLISH STARTS RECOVERING THE RISE OF LONDON DIALECT [a:]>[ᴐ:], [ᴁ:]>[3:] [ᴁ]>[a] New diphthongs: [ei], [ai], [ᴐi], [au], [ou], [eu] New consonant sounds: [ʃ], [ʒ], [ʧ],[ʤ]. Grammar: unification of the system of the quantity of nouns, loss of grammar gender, loss of agreement, appearing of analytical forms of comparison, change of case system – only two cases left, new personal pronouns appeared, appearing of articles, suffix –s spreads across the language, changes in suffixation of verbs, reduction of personal endings of verbs, perfect forms, future tense and passive forms appeared, continuous forms appeared, new sentence structure tendencies, syntactic relationships expression changed. 1337-1453 A Hundred-year war   ENGLISH HOSTILITY TO FRENCH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE 1348-1350 The epidemic of Black Death brought From France     RISE IN THE PRESTIGE OF ENGLISH AS THE LANGUAGE OF WORKING CLASSES FRENCH IS SUBSTITUTED BY ENGLISH IN TEACHING LATIN IN SCHOOLS   The law according to which all the legal proceeding should take place in English.     ENGLISH BECOMES THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS ~1380 John Wycliff’s translation of the Bible into English   GOD SPEAKS TO PEOPLE IN ENGLISH NOT LATIN Latin borrowings   major, minor, filial, moderate, intelligent, permanent, to elect, to create, datum, status, phenomenon, philosophy, method, music, atom, cycle, esthete, ethics   Geoffrey Chaucer's literature    THE LONDON DIALECT BECOMES FIT FOR GREAT LITERATURE THUS RISING IN PRESTIGE FRENCH IS STILL THE LANGUAGE OF LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Still more French borrowings (* из “Общего пролога» «Кентерберийских рассказов»):

Regime, routine, police, machine, ballet, matinee, scene, technique, bourgeois, champagne, chandelier, elite, bouquet, chef, cuisine, chic, charade, chemise, chaise, prestige, beige, garage, restaurant, vase, cartoon, coquette, canteen, connoisseur, brunette, boulevard, dentist

  The Plantagenet are overthrown, The Lancasters begin to rule EVERYONE IN ENGLAND SPEAKS ENGLISH FRENCH IS STILL THE LANGUAGE OF LEGAL DOCUMENTS   The first book printing device appeared in England     Ø THE SHAPING OF MODERN STANDARD ENGLISH SPELLING    

Middle English spelling of words*: