September 24 and 26, 1997
Sept 24, 1997
Sept 26, 1997
ENG 199: The Story of English
First some business:
1. Response #1 due Sept 29.
2. HW #2 due Friday, Sept 26, to be handed out today, Sept 24.
The Norsemen and the Normans (Barber, Chapter 6: 127-150)
I. The Vikings in England:
Part of the reason the Vikings got so active by 800 is that the Frisians (and
Anglo-Saxons), who were rulers of the north seas before 800, were defeated by
Charlemagne (the great French leader/king at that time). We know the Viking
history in England even better than Barber describes in the first part of this
chapter. We even know that the key battle won by Alfred the great was not
Chippenham, but Abingdon (Barber, pg 128).
In the north of England the Viking influence is extensive. Many northern British
dialects still have Viking derived words not even used in the southern dialects
or in the London standard. Town names reveal also extensive Viking influence
(pages 128-130).
Many Scandinavian words in English are recognizable today. A good example is
the [ch] vs. [k] sounds:
ditch (OE) dike (Scan)
church (OE) kirk (Scan)
shirt (OE) skirt (Scan)
shrub (OE) Scrub (Scan)
Many other basic words in English came from Old Norse rather than Old English.
take, nay, loose, anger, cast, die, ill, dwell, bread, leg, neck,
dirt, knife, odd, ugly, call, drag, give, raise, smile, etc.
Most words were taken into English in the late OE period; in the early and mid
OE period, the contacts between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings were less peaceful and
there was less intermingling.
While, overall, the number of borrowings from Scandinavian were small, they were
extremely important because they were words that we use frequently in English.
II. The Norman Conquest
In Norman invasion in 1066 was not a sudden invasion by a group of outsiders.
The Normans were in close contact with the English royalty, and the last King
before William was Edward the Confessor, who was half Norman himself!
Some background on the Normans. They were originally Vikings themselves! They
invaded northwest France, liked what they saw, and stayed (around 892 AD).
Besides raiding the interior of France from time to time, they adopted the French
language quickly and became a major force in the evolving fortunes of the early
French kings. In around 911 (Treaty of St-Clair-sur-Epte), the Normans pledged
loyalty to the French kings in return for being given "sacred rights" to the
ands of northwest France and be legitimized as French royalty. The duchy of
Normandy expanded in pieces over the next 100 years, and it was the strongest
regional government in France by the mid-11th century. By around 1000, the
Normans no longer were Danish speakers, but had absorbed the Frankish (romance)
language and its customs.
The Normans represented the height of the feudal society. All power centered on
the Duke, who handed out land and favors to local royalty in return for their
loyalty in raising armies, committing their knights, and taxing the people. It
was a combined warrior class (and the age of chivalry) and church society, and
it was a well-run society. They supported the church and built great cathedrals;
they built the large castles; and they developed the early French rule of law.
As part of French royalty, they also encouraged intermarriage among royal
families to strengthen alliances. That's how Ethelred "the unready" (remember
him) ended up married to Emma, daughter of Duke Richard of Normandy and mother
of Edward the confessor. So the Dukes of Normandy had a direct connection to
the royal Edwardian line. And Edward the confessor (1042-1066) was William's
uncle!!
However, when Edward the confessor died, Harold of the Godwin clan claimed the
throne (He was the brother-in-law of Edward the confessor). The Godwin clan was
actually a very powerful Wessex royal family which had also risen to power in a
number of the other English kingdoms at that time. So Harold felt he had a
legitimate claim.
Edward the Confessor, however, had already promised the line of succession to
William because of the Norman connection. And Harold himself in 1064, just two
years before the succession, pledge an oath of loyalty to William. So in 1066,
when Harold claimed the throne, William invaded to reclaim the throne for the
Normans. In 1066, at the battle of Hastings (the most famous battle on English
soil), William defeated Harold and English kings were French speakers for the
next 200 years!
William is an interesting story in himself. Born an illegitimate son of Robert,
Duke of Normandy, in 1027, he became Duke in 1034 at the age of seven. At 20, in
1047, he was almost killed in a conspiracy but saved by the protection of the
King of France. Along with the King, he defeated his enemies and secured his
position. He ruled strongly until his death.
After the Battle of Hastings (in 1066), William Slowly marched on London. By
the time he arrived, the people of London invited him to take over. They
actually were tired of sucession fights and poor centralized rule, and they were
happy to be ruled by a strong king. By 1070, England was fully in Norman
control. William Died on 1087, and William II took over until he died in 1100.
Norman history is also complicated by the first Crusade, led by Norman knights!
They conquered Jerusalem in 1099 and played an important role in the crusades
for the next 100 years.
Then Henry I, a great king (1100-1135), ascended and fought all comers to
legitimize his hold on England. by 1106, he was in control in England and a
good part of France. In 1154, Henry II (154-1189), a second great king, along
with Eleanor of Aquitaine (of French nobility), ruled England and more than 1/2
of France. This is also a great love story!!
Richard I (the Lionhearted ruled from 1189-1199), follwed by King John (1199-1
216). Henry III, another great king, ruled from (1216-1272). Then we get the
three Edwards: Edward the I (1272-1307), Edward II (1307-1327), and Edward III
1327-1377). This ends the Norman (and Plantagenet Dynasties).
Throughout the Norman era, French dominated the courts, the royal offices,
education (with Latin), and the higher levels of commerce. For the three
centuries of Norman rule, almost until 1400 (late Middle English), no English
variety was recognized as a standard norm.
III. Middle English Dialects (see map on page 137 of Barber).
Many differences among the five main Middle English dialects (pages 138-139;
hard). On page 139, we see that Modern English evolved from only one of the
many possible dialects (see East Midlands example on page 140). Of course, with
Normans, the West Saxon dialect lost its earlier power as the literary English
dialect.
IV. French vs. English
1200s saw the gradual movement away from French. The 1204 date represented a
time that no English Norman could keep lands in both England and France (because
King John lost control of Normandy). In 1215, the Magna Carta took some power
away from the king and spread it more locally; this might have made English more
functional for official uses away from the central court.
Gradually those Normans who stayed in England began to identify with the English.
By the 1300s, English was on the rise. The late 1300s saw the rise of Chaucer
and the king's opening speech to parliament given in English (1362). At this
time, school education also shifted to English. Finally, by 1400 (1399, Henry
IV), England had a king whose native language was English!
V. The New Standard English
The new standard that emerged by 1400 was the East Midlands dialect. This
reflected the importance of Cambridge University, the preferred dialect in
London, and the economic power of the East Midlands region. By the 1400s, the
London dialect grew in prestige, and the introduction of the printing press
before 1500 stabilized this dialect as the standard. As the book says (Barber
145), by 1500 (the end of Middle English), written English was pretty
standardized to the East Midlands/London variety, and it was being used (often
along with other local dialects) for writing throughout England.
At this time Scots English also became a literary standard for the north of
England and for Scotland. The Stuart kings of Scotland were strong, and Scots
also prospered as an independent dialect of English.
VI. French Loan-Words in Middle English
The impact of French loan words was the greatest near the end of the ME period
when French itself was on the decline. Good examples of the many words borrowed
are given on pages 146-149! This borrowing occurred because, as English became
used for many new purposes, it needed new words that weren't in early Middle
English--so they were borrowed many many words from French.