0
Britain did not exist as a unified location - Wales was split into different principalities, Scotland had its own kings and Ireland was only partially under the control of English kings.
In the area today called Britain many different languages were spoken, some changing over the very long medieval period:
In most of England, Old English was used up to about 1150; it gradually evolved into Middle English. In Cornwall in the far south-west of England, the language was Kernowek but some people must have been bilingual (administrators, lawyers, merchants and so on). On the Isle of Man, Manx Gaelic was spoken (again some people must have been bilingual). The nobility and some others spoke Anglo-Norman French, while Latin was the language of the Church, of schools, books and educated people.
In Wales dialects of Old Welsh were spoken.
In different parts of Scotland people spoke Gaelic, Old Norse, Middle English (Scots dialect) and Anglo-Norman French.
In Ireland a form of Gaelic was used.
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, Old English was a language that had a typically Germanic grammar and vocabulary. During the Middle Ages, the most important thing that happened to the English language was a set of changes, mostly to the vocabulary, resulting from the Norman Conquest, and causing the incorporation of words from French. The English Language subsequently became recognizable as such to modern readers with the Middle English of Geoffrey Chaucer.
There is a link below to a more comprehensive discussion.
Medieval languages were very different over time and in each country or region.
In Cornwall, in the far south-west of England, everyone spoke Kernowek, which is related to southern Welsh. In the Channel Islands (Sark, Alderney, Jersey and Guernsey) the common language was Norman French; in Germany between 1050 and 1350 everyone spoke Middle High German - after 1350 they spoke Early New High German; in Italy there were many Romance dialects such as Occitan, Tuscan, Venetian and Ligurian; in what is today France people spoke Breton in Brittany, Norman French in Normandy, Old French and many other regional dialects.
In England before 1150 the common language was Late Old English. This evolved gradually into Middle English. In Scotland various populations spoke Middle English, Gaelic, Old Norse, Pictish and other languages. In Wales people spoke Old Welsh up to about 1100, followed by Middle Welsh.
Scandinavian countries had their own languages, as did Spain, Flanders and so on.
When Church Synods were called by the Pope, when European bishops, abbots and other Church officials gathered in one place for an important meeting, they all spoke different languages; this was no problem, since they all also spoke Latin and Church meetings were always conducted in that language.
The medieval period lasted for such a long time that everything gradually changed, including money, language, fashions, arms and armour and much more. Language also depended on social class:
In England up to about 1150, Old English was spoken by the majority of the population. This was the language brought to England from the 5th century onwards by Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Friesians, Wends, Franks and other immigrants from north Germany and south Denmark. It is therefore a Germanic dialect and is fairly close to modern Dutch.
From 1066 the Norman invaders spoke Anglo-Norman French, which continued to be the everyday language of the aristocracy and royalty for hundreds of years. This is not the same thing as French - anyone who thinks that Norman knights spoke French is mistaken.
After about 1150, Old English gradually changed into Middle English, which remained the language of the masses until the end of the medieval period.
In the book Mother Tongue author Bill Bryson writes "In the country inns of a small corner of northern Germany you can sometimes hear people talking in what sounds eerily like a lost dialect of English. According to Professor Hubertus Menke the language is very close to the way people spoke in Britain more than a 1,000 years ago." This area of Germany was once called Angeln and the Germanic tribes that lived there crossed the North Sea to Britain where they displaced the native Celts and gave us English.
Another group of people in an area of northern Holland and Western Germany also have a dialect close to English. In about 450 AD when the Romans left Britain these two groups of people and two other related groups from the same area of northern Europe, the Saxons and the Jutes began their trip to Britain. These tribes settled in different parts and each brought with it its own variations in speech. Some of those still exist today in Britain and may even have been carried from the old world to the new world. After time the tribes merged and subdivided until they established 7 small kingdoms and dominated the island except for Wales, Scotland, and Cornwall which were Celtic. Although the Saxons were the dominate group, the new nation gradually came to be known as England and its language English. No one knows why or really how this happened, but that they simply disappeared. The people couldn't read or write so they left nothing for us to read. They had a runic alphabet that was used on ceremonial stones called runes, but they never used it as a means to communicate. The first sentence in English was found in 1982 in a field in Suffolk, England. It is a small gold medallion about the size of a quarter and made sometime between 450-480 AD. It has the runic inscription "This she-wolf is a reward to my kinsman"
None can say at what point English became a separate language, but almost as soon as this was getting going a new attack came to change the new language. The Viking raiders added to the mix. The Danish influence was enormous and there are more than 1,400 place names in northern England that are of Scandinavian origin today. For many years some people only spoke old English while others only spoke old Norse. In some places this lasted years, but eventually the two mixed. The use of pronouns they, them, and their are Norse.
The next phase came when the Normans invaded in 1066. The Normans were Vikings that had settled 2 hundred years before in northern France, but in those years the Norse language had been replaced by French. Not a single Norse word has survived in Normandy. This is really something when you consider that the Normans gave about 10,000 words to English. No king spoke English for the next 300 years. It wasn't until 1399 with Henry IV that there was a ruler whose language was English. One by one the English earls were replaced by Normans. French speaking craftsmen, cooks, scholars and scribes were brought to England. The Norman society had two tiers; the French speaking aristocracy and the English speaking peasant. Because English had no official status for 3 centuries it changed and drifted. Without someone setting a standard difference developed by region and yet it survived.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What language most heavily influenced English during the Middle English Period?
French. After the Norman conquest French had such a impact on the English language that Middle English looks nothing like Old English, because we adopted and adapted so many of their words!
How do you say yes in Medieval?
Midevil isn't a language. If you are referring to Middle English it is yes or yis.
Why was alchemests needed in the middle ages?
What you should be asking is, why for the love of god, you cannot use the English language.
Why were the English kings more powerful than the French kings in the middle ages?
Ther French kings are more powerful becaue in 1066, the prince France invaded Britain and that the language of britain demolished.. The english language now is a language of French socialites.
What was the language of the educated people in Europe during the middle ages?
French. The Queen still has her menu in French.
Who added words to the English language in the Middle English period?
The Normans added words to the English language during their occupation.
Language changed from what English to what English during the medieval period?
During the medieval period, middle English changed to modern English.
When was the word sport introduced to the English language?
During the middle ages, around 1150.
What language most heavily influenced English during the Middle English Period?
French. After the Norman conquest French had such a impact on the English language that Middle English looks nothing like Old English, because we adopted and adapted so many of their words!
Which language most heavily influenced English during the middle English period?
French. After the Norman conquest French had such a impact on the English language that Middle English looks nothing like Old English, because we adopted and adapted so many of their words!
Did Geoffrey Chaucer write the canterbury tales in old english middle english or modern english?
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote "The Canterbury Tales" in Middle English, which was the common spoken and written language in England during the late 14th century. Middle English is distinct from older forms of the language like Old English and from the modern form of English that we use today.
What language was spoken in England in Chaucer's time?
In Chaucer's time, Middle English was the language spoken in England. It was a transitioning period between Old English and Modern English, and during this time, English was heavily influenced by French due to the Norman Conquest.
One significant difference between Old English and Middle English is that Middle English incorporates influences from .?
French
What are the four stages of the English language?
The four stages of the English language are Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Modern English. These stages mark the historical development and evolution of the language over time.
The Canterbury Tales was written in which language?
The Canterbury Tales was written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th century.
Is it true Chaucer's writings provide examples of our language in transition from Middle English to Modern English?
Yes, it is true that Chaucer's writings, particularly "The Canterbury Tales," are considered to provide examples of English in transition from Middle English to Modern English. Chaucer's works reflect changes in vocabulary, grammar, and spelling that show the evolution of the English language during that time period.
When did English become the official language of Britain?
English became the official language of Britain during the Middle Ages, specifically around the 14th century. This was due to the increasing influence of the English language following the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the subsequent decline of Norman French as the primary language of the ruling class.
