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Because a large percentage of the English language comes from the five "romance" languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portugese and Romanian) of which Latin is the foundation. And because the French Normans led by William the Conquerer, defeated the English Saxons in 1066 at The Battle of Hastings, thus leading to a significant influence of the Old French language upon the Old English language!

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14y ago
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11y ago

That England is just across a narrow stretch of water from France and that French-speaking invaders conquered England in 1066 are two reasons why there are so many French words in English.

Specifically, the English Channel (La Manche, "The Sleeve") is the 20.6 to 150-mile (33.1 to 240-kilometer) water body which separates northern France from southern England. Historically, it may be a hazardous, tumultuous way of accessing either country. But it served its purpose well for France when William the Illegitimate Conqueror (1028-1087) crossed the Channel, defeated Harold Godwinson the Fair (1022-1066), and started up the Norman and Plantagenet royal lines of England.

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12y ago

Because in 1066,William the Conquerer, and the Normans, invaded and conquered England from Normandy - which the same Normandy which the American Army stormed on D-Day of Modern-day France

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Q: Why are there so many French words in English?
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Continue Learning about General History

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!


What is so in French?

The French translation for English "so" depends on exactly what sense you're using.The most common used words are si or tellement, either of which usually translate into English "so".But the French can also use different words where an English speaker would use "so". For example, to say "so, would you like to go?" A French speaker would say, alors, vous voulez aller?You should check a French-English dictionary for examples of sentences using "so" and how to translate them.


How many french words are in the English language?

40 '/. of the English language----It's difficult to answer, because are you including all the words in the English language or only commonly used ones? are you counting only Norman French, modern French, Latin words that came via French, etc. ?However, the Oxford Dictionary site ( http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutenglish/proportion?view=UK ) has an estimate of the proportions of the approximately 80,000 words in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (includes some fairly obscure ones, but they're mostly in use) and puts:Latin, including modern scientific and technical Latin: 28.24%French, including Old French and early Anglo-French: 28.3%Old and Middle English, Old Norse, and Dutch: 25%Greek: 5.32%No etymology given: 4.03%Derived from proper names: 3.28%All other languages contributed less than 1%So 28.3% of 80,000 is 22,640 words. Arbitrary, but a good enough estimate.


How do you say in French so what did you learn first English or French?

In French, to ask the question 'So, what did you learn first: English or French?' , you say:Donc, qu'avez-vous tout d'abord : français ou en anglais ?


What have we borrowed from Greece?

Many of your assumptions about English are just plain wrong. No language borrows needlessly from another language. There are variations in meaning. "Weekend" does not mean the same as "fin de semaine." So the French people despite threats from the French language academy still use "weekend." England was conquered by Normans from France in 1066. Latin based words came into English through French. In 1066, what science was there ? English spelling has never been regular. The most common words are irregular. be/am/is/are, was/were, been English is the language of science precisely because English has such a variety of words. English has the largest vocabulary of any language. Sailing, shipping and navigation do not mean the same thing. sail and ship are anglo-saxon words navigation is Latin based What are good anglo-saxon words for vocabulary( Latin) or etymology (Greek) that conveys the same meanings? What are good Anglosaxon words that convey meanings of the word philosophy?

Related questions

What are four french words?

to be honest with you, there are as many french words as there are as many english words, so according to this, im not sure what french words you're looking for, so i will just list a sentence with four english words translated to french (or more like a french sentence translated to english):J'ai besoin de plus d'informations.I need more information.


When were french words introduced to the English language?

French words were introduced to the English language after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This event resulted in a significant influence of French language and culture on English, leading to the incorporation of many French words into the English vocabulary.


Why English is so invaded with French words?

French words were mainly introduced in English after William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066.


Are cuss words French?

Some English cuss words have distant origins in Old French, such as "damn" from "damner" and "bitch" from "biche." However, most English cuss words have Germanic or other linguistic roots.


What are all the words in French and English?

There are about 75,000 words in the French vocabulary, so the list would be a bit long.


Is there any objects in french that are the same as our country?

There are many words that are the same between French and English. French is a Romance Language which comes from Latin. English also has Latin influences, so there are many nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc that are the same.


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!


Why is it that English borrows so many loanwords in dance and fashion from France?

France has both social renown and economic power in the fashion and dance worlds, so English borrows many French words for these areas.


Why is English and latin so similar?

The English language adopted many words from Latin and French between 1066 and approximately 1200 AD during the Norman occupation.


What is so in French?

The French translation for English "so" depends on exactly what sense you're using.The most common used words are si or tellement, either of which usually translate into English "so".But the French can also use different words where an English speaker would use "so". For example, to say "so, would you like to go?" A French speaker would say, alors, vous voulez aller?You should check a French-English dictionary for examples of sentences using "so" and how to translate them.


What roman words do you still use today?

The Romans spoke Latin There are so many word in English which originate from Latin that the list would be pages and pages long. Latin words entered the English language in two ways: When Latin was the language the church and a language spoken by the educated elites many Latin words became part of English. With the Normans, who invaded England from France, French became the language of the court and many french words, which have a Latin origin, entered the English language. If you consult a dictionary you will find the origin of words, including the ones from Latin and the ones from French which have a Latin origin. Many technical words in medicine, science, law and theology are Latin.