![]() ![]() In the case of the church and related legal and education systems, Latin was still used, even though it was nominally a ‘dead’ language. ![]() While French was still the language of the Royal Court, the emerging dialect we now call Middle English was well established as a means of communicating outside of the Court. Over time, the Norman rulers of England began to identify themselves more as English than French. However, a combination of inter-marriage between Norman and English people and the necessity to be able to communicate with the majority English population led to the gradual adoption of Old English as at least a second language.Īs French words began to appear, they had an impact on both Old English, and English terms also began to appear in what was quite rapidly becoming Anglo-French. The new Norman aristocracy initially held themselves apart from their new English subjects by, amongst other things, speaking almost exclusively in French.įrench was the official language of England for about 300 years from 1066 till 1362 They spoke a French dialect and regarded Old English as a rather crude and rustic language. The next major change to English was initiated in 1066 after the invasion and subjugation of England by the Normans. ![]() The name is perhaps most prominent in the counties of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire in England and around Telemark in Norway, suggesting its origins lie in these two parts of the world. My own surname (Overland) was essentially the same in pronunciation and meaning in both languages. Old English was very similar to Old Norse. The Celtic speaking Britons were pushed out of England into Wales, Cornwall and Scotland, where versions of the Celtic language persisted and, indeed, survive to this day.Īs an aside, ancient Cornish, the language of my ancestors, is very similar to ancient Breton, a language which still has a few modern speakers living mostly in Brittany, a region of France.īoth Cornish and Breton were quite widely spoken until around 1700, when English and French respectively became dominant. They brought with them their own languages which over time merged into what became Anglo-Saxon or Old English. Despite their colourful warrior garb (reminds me of somewhere), Celtic-speaking Britons proved no match for invaders from northern Europe, although elements of their culture and language remain in the UK ![]()
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