l Battle of Hastings 1066, William the Conqueror
l 1066 Norman Conquest made English the language of lower classes as Nobles used mainly French
l The Normans were Frenchmen descended from Nordic invaders who had snatched control of pieces of the French coast during the Viking era, much as their cousins had done in England. In 912 the Northmen gained by right of treaty with the king of France the part of France known still today as Normandy. Normans threw themselves into absorbing French culture, military know-how, cuisine, law, and – most importantly for the future history of English – the French language. By the eve of the Norman Conquest Normans were French through and through.
l Coronation of William the Great in London. Introduction of new nobility (old English nobility died at Hastings). In 1072 only one of 12 earls was an Englishman, he was executed 4 years later. All positions in the state were held by Normans or foreigners of high blood.
l The pressure on the French to learn English was much greater. Baronial staff would have to learn English in order to mediate between their lords and local communities. French-speaking clergy found it essential to acquire English to carry out their mission. English survived in monasteries. Considerable number of bilinguals. There are facts of mutual respect and intermarriage between 2 peoples: whatever the difficulties in communication with the spouses the children grew bilingual. Making English the language of uneducated people the Norman conquest made it easier for grammatical changes to go forward unchecked. Thanks to proliferation of English dialects during the Norman conquest mutual understanding of people in different areas of England became possible.
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