French influence on the English language

French influence on the English language

Discuss the French influence on the English language

Answer: After the conquest of Norman (1066), the French became the lords of England. The new conditions brought about by the Norman Conquest, however, opened the door for a great and abundant flow of foreign words. French influence has given access not only to the rich literature of the continent, but also to higher administrative positions.

French influence in the Middle Ages

The Normans kept the two old words ‘king’ and ‘queen’ intact, but gave almost all the words related to government and supreme administration to English. Examples of these words are ‘crown’, ‘state’, ‘government’, ‘kingdom’, ‘state’, ‘sovereign’, ‘minister’, ‘chancellor’, ‘power’, ‘country’, ‘authority’, ‘parliament’, ‘council’, ‘advisor’, ‘people’, ‘nation’, and so on.

Feudalism was introduced in England by the Normans and with it came feudal words like ‘feudal’, ‘vassal tail’, ‘prince’, ‘peer’, ‘duke’, ‘duchess’, ‘baron’, ‘count’, ‘countess’, ‘viscount’. But surprisingly enough, the English words ‘Lord’ and ‘Lady’ existed with honor.

France's upper ranks of military affairs took over, and many military words came from France. Some of these military terms are ‘war’, ‘peace’, ‘weapons’, ‘armor’, ‘lance’, ‘banner’, ‘signal’, ‘attack’, ‘siege’, ‘military officer’, ‘sergeant’, ‘lieutenant’, ‘naval’, ‘admiral’, ‘soldier’, and so on.

The Normans also greatly influenced English law which was naturally in their hands. As a result many legal terms in England now are of Norman-French descent, such as ‘justice’, ‘judge’, ‘Jury’, ‘court’, ‘lawsuit’, ‘plaintiff’, ‘defendant’, ‘petition’, ‘summons’, ‘session’, ‘attorney’, ‘crime’, ‘heinous’, ‘treacherous’, ‘loss’, ‘property’, ‘deportation’, ‘fine’, ‘prison’, ‘bill’, ‘law’, ‘tax’, etc.

Religions, especially its higher offices, were controlled by the Norman rulers like the law. As a result, the following religious terms have entered into English: ‘religion’, ‘savior’, ‘trinity’, ‘angel’, ‘pastor’, ‘parish’, ‘abbey’, ‘friar’, ‘saint’, ‘sacrifice’, ‘altar’, ‘prayer’, ‘sermon’, ‘virgin’, ‘service’, ‘baptism’, ‘miracles’, ‘preaching’, ‘prayer’, etc. Besides, words, such as ‘rules’, ‘text’, ‘preservation’, ‘temptation’, ‘flame’, ‘order’, ‘nature’, etc. which are now secular words, come from French as fully religious words.

The French introduced a whole range of words related to moral concepts from virtue to others: ‘duty’, ‘conscience’, ‘grace’, ‘charity’, ‘cruelty’, ‘sanctity’, ‘greed’, ‘lust’, ‘lectures’, ‘violence’, ‘compassion’, ‘discipline’, ‘mercy’ and others.

In addition to these words of special field, many words were introduced which had a general meaning and which shed a flood of light on the interrelationship between the Normans and the English. These words are ‘sir’, and ‘madam’, ‘master’, ‘concubine’, ‘order’, ‘obey’, ‘rich’, ‘poor’, ‘money’, ‘interest’, ‘cash’, ‘rent’ etc.

Living animals like ‘bulls’, ‘sheep’, ‘calves’, ‘pigs’, ‘deer’, continue to carry their native names, the French words used to eat the meat of those animals are ‘beef’, ‘pork’, ‘bacon’, ‘venison’. The point is explained by the fact that the English servants were in charge of the animals while they were alive, but were eaten by their French masters when they were killed. Similar meanings probably refer to the words ‘butler’, ‘buttery’, ‘bottle’, ‘dinner’, ‘feast’, ‘feast roast’, ‘toast’, ‘pasty’, ‘soup’, ‘sausage’, ‘jelly’, etc.

There are a good number of French words related to pleasure, enjoyment, entertainment and fashion. Among the words related to pleasure and enjoyment we notice words like ‘joy’, ‘pleasure’, ‘ease’, ‘comfort’, ‘flower’ and ‘fruit’. Words related to entertainment are ‘chase’, ‘cards’, ‘dice’ and many more. The French words related to fashion are ‘clothing’, ‘apparel’, ‘tailor’, ‘mason’, ‘furniture’, ‘table’, ‘chair’, ‘carpenter’, etc.

Many words related to art and architecture are taken from French, such as, ‘art’, ‘beauty’, ‘color’, ‘design’, ‘arches’, ‘minarets’, ‘pillars’, ‘vaults’, ‘choirs’, ‘chapels’, ‘palaces’ and ‘castles’.

French influence in the 17th century

The acquisition of Charles II, a long-time resident of the French court on the English throne in 1660, intensified the French influence on English, as it initiated an exceptionally close relationship between English and French in literary and social matters. The French words borrowed during this period of interaction (i.e. 17th century) are ‘dragon’, ‘parole’, ‘reprimand’, ‘ballet’, ‘bulls’, ‘chagrin champagne’, ‘coquette’, ‘liaison’, ‘par excellence’, ‘naïve’, ‘relationship’, ‘forte’, ‘muslin’, ‘soup’, ‘group’, ‘penchant’ etc.

French influence in the 18th century

The eighteenth century was again rich in all sorts of words, including French debt-military positions. The list of French words adopted in the 18th century is as follows: ‘ennui’, ‘police’, ‘coup’.

Literature and art: ‘biography’, ‘literary’, ‘cliché’, ‘renaissance’, ‘baton’, ‘matinee’, ‘motif’, ‘macabre’, etc.

Meals: ‘Restaurant’, ‘Menu’, ‘Chef’, ‘Sauté’, ‘Fondant’, ‘Gratin’ etc.

Diplomacy: ‘attachment’, ‘prestige’, ‘stagnation’, ‘charge day affairs’, ‘debacle’, ‘raison’, ‘reproachment’, etc.

Dress: ‘Rosette’, ‘Fitch’, ‘Profile’, ‘Crepe’, ‘Negligée’, ‘Beret’ etc.

French influence in the 20th century

The process of borrowing from the French continued into the 20th century. The two world wars where England and France were allies have greatly helped the French borrowing process in the present century. Among the loans of the 20th century we can mention the terms ‘garage’, ‘verse labor’, ‘fuselage’, ‘hangar’, ‘limousine’ and ‘camouflage’.

Thus, starting from the Norman period, French culture and practices, society and values began to attract the minds of the English in the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th centuries and even later.

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