3.6.3

Middle English

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Middle English

Middle English refers to the period from around 1100 to 1700. You can think of it as being characterised by the three P's: Plague, Printing and Pronunciation!

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French domination

  • As the French and English began to work more closely together, we get some interesting lexical developments.
  • English kept the words cow, sheep and swine, but gained beef, mutton and pork from the French.
  • This was as a result of the French dominating the English – the French ate the meat, but the English worked with the animals, hence the lexical differences.
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The French language

  • Generally speaking, when new words entered our language from the French, they pushed the English equivalents to take a more specific meaning.
  • In total, there are an estimated 10,000 words to have entered the English lexicon as a result of the interactions with the French.
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Authority

  • Ultimately, French (and Latin) became the language of power and authority, and as a result, they have become entrenched in our language.
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Intermarriage

  • As time went on, the French often ended up marrying the English and so language became more intertwined.
  • The knock-on effect of this was that the children of these couples began to learn English (and not French).
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Lingua franca

  • In addition in this age, we see the use of English as a lingua franca (a language used as a common strand) between speakers of Latin and French.

The Black Death

The Black Death wiped out a massive percentage of the population of England, including a large proportion of those at the top of the hierarchy.

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The fourth invasion

  • What invaded?
    • The Black Death.
  • When?
    • 1340s.
  • Who or what was impacted?
    • England (and Europe).
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Death

  • The Black Death wiped out a massive percentage of the population (estimated between 33-50%).
  • Most importantly, it wiped out those at the top of the hierarchy (Latin-speaking clergymen and French aristocracy) and left a large number of speakers who were only English speaking.
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English

  • As a result, English became the dominant language of England.
  • In addition, the language of the law became much more English due to the fact that the Latin-speaking lawyers had died.

Jump to other topics

1Language Levels

2Language, The Individual & Society

3Language Diversity & Change

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