Over the 4 centuries following the Norman Conquest of 1066, the English language changed dramatically as approximately 10,000 French words entered Old English and many Old English words left. Around 1,000 Latin words were also incorporated into English mainly through John Wycliffe's translation of the Bible from Latin to English in the late 14th century. These significant changes resulted in the language being called Middle English rather than Old English. Some key changes included nouns, adjectives and pronouns losing different meanings and becoming simpler, and irregular past tense verbs decreasing in number.
2. In the chapter 5 it shows how the next 4 centuries
that followed the Norman Conquest (1066) the language
changed dramatically. A big amount of French words entered
the Old English (10000 words) and many words from it left
moreover, about 1000 Latin words took place in the English
language, the main source of this change was the Bible’s
translation (from Latin to English) made by John Wychffe in
1380 to 1384. As it changed so much, the name for it at this
time was Middle English, not Old English. One of the
changes, was the nouns, adjectives and pronouns, which lost
the different meanings, in other words, it became simpler.
Also, nouns, adjectives and pronouns that changed, the
verbs, specially the past tense. Nowadays there are about
half of irregular past tense verbs (250) than in Old English.
3. At this time (12th century) very few things were
written in English and French was still used, mostly in
upper classes. As time past in the 13th century English
started to be a lot more used in literature and in official
papers. Later on, in the 14th century, because of the need
to indentify their selves as their village grew or they move,
they started to created family names. Sometimes these
names were the father’s name, or a town, or his country
or even where he lived.
The first printing machine arrived in England in the
15th century. Who brought it was William Caxton. It
arrived in London in 1476. Caxton started to use the East
Midlands dialect, because it was spoken in London and
used in the government , and slowly the standard of the
spelling started to develop.
4. Geoffrey Chaucer was a great writer in the
14th century.. He also wrote in the East Midlands
dialect. Geoffrey lived in London, he was born in 1343
and died in 1400. He wrote “The Canterbury Tales” in
1390’s which is really famous for these words:
When April with its sweet showers
Has pierced the drought of March to the root
And bathed every vein in such liquid
From which strength the flower is engendered…
Then people long to go on pilgrimages…
This poem talks about some people who were
travelling to Canterbury, where there was the large
church and on the way they told each other stories.
5. After, in the following centuries (14th
, 15th
and
16th
) a writer called William Langland wrote “Piers
Plowman” which became famous in France and Italy.
The poem talked about a dream. In the 15th century
a thousand people started to read in English
6. After, in the following centuries (14th
, 15th
and
16th
) a writer called William Langland wrote “Piers
Plowman” which became famous in France and Italy.
The poem talked about a dream. In the 15th century
a thousand people started to read in English