French elements in the English vocabulary. Features of French borrowings. Periods of borrowings from French.

-Norman French (XI- XIII c.) – a northern dialect of French: calange, warrant, warden, reward, prisun, gaol

-Parisian French (XIII-XVI c.) – the prestige dialect:

challenge, guarantee, guardian, regard, prison, jail

Features of French loans:

-the accent on the last syllable: finance, finesse, supreme;

-ch /ʃ/, e.g. avalanche, chandelier, chauffeur, charlatan, chic;

-g before e and i /ʒ/, e.g. beige, bourgeois, camouflage, massage;

-ou /u:/: coup, rouge;

-eau /ou/ château;

-silent final consonant p, s, t: coup, debris, ragoût, trait, ballet, debut.

Semantic groups of French borrowings:

administration: crown, country, people, office, nation, government;

titles and ranks of nobility: baron, duke, duchess, prince, peer,

but lord, lady, king, queen, earl, knight – native;

jurisdiction: case, heir, poor, justice, marriage, jury, prove;

the Church and religion: abbey, altar, Bible, grace, pray, saint;

military terms: army, battle, escape, soldier, navy, aid;

entertainment: dance, chase, partner, sport, tournament, cards;

fashion: dress, lace, embroidery, garment, mitten, frock;

food and drink: dinner, supper, appetite, spice, taste, vinegar, fruit;

the domestic life: chair, blanket, lantern, chandelier, couch, towel;

Words related to different aspects of the life of the upper classes and of the town life:

-forms of address (French): sir, madam, mister, mistress, master, servant;

- the names of the animals (native) vs the meat (French): cow – beef; calf – veal, swine – pork; deer – venison; sheep – mutton;

-the names of country occupations (native) vs town trades (French): miller, shepherd, shoemaker, smith – butcher, carpenter, grocer, tailor;

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