French Influence on Middle English: Sociolinguistic Diglossia
The Norman Conquest in 1066 was a geopolitical shift that drastically altered the linguistic landscape of medieval England. The centuries of Anglo-Norman coexistence that followed created a significant structural and lexical combination rather than replacing the vernacular. As the opening quotation perceptively highlights, linguistic change is rarely an isolated internal phenomenon; rather, it reflects the sociopolitical hierarchies of those who wield power. This essay analyzes how the French influence on Middle English was marked by a particular sociolinguistic diglossia, producing a highly stratified, complex, and multifaceted lexicon that transformed English into a hybrid, expressive language.
Socio-Historical Context of 1066–1400
To comprehend...