![]() What we less conscious of (in the West at least) is that every single national language is in fact a set of overlapping but quite distinct sub-languages, used at different times, often by the same speakers, for different purposes and in different contexts. We are all well aware that different nations have different languages. ![]() Through this process, English acquired a large body of words of Romance origin (that is, derived ultimately from Latin, mainly via French) while retaining its Germanic grammar and syntax, although in a much simpler form than was found in English prior to 1066 (or is found in other Germanic languages today). Each language had its place, yet all three were permanently in contact. The distinctive character of modern-day English, especially where words that look ‘French’ is concerned, is a consequence of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and the four (or more) ensuing centuries during which three languages - English, French and Latin - co-existed and interacted in the conduct of public and private affairs in the British Isles. Although an English speaker who has never learned French may, with a bit of luck or guesswork, be able to get the gist of a short sentence in French, especially in its written form, the more a learner’s knowledge of French grows, the more apparent the differences between the two languages become. But even those apparently familiar words sound very different when spoken, and rather a lot of them turn out on closer inspection to mean something rather - or indeed completely - different from their English counterparts. A Whiff of Multilingualism in Medieval EnglandĮnglish speakers who come in contact with the French language only casually (on holiday, on food and wine labels etc.) are often surprised by the number of French words they recognise. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |