The Middle English period in Britain was one characterized by a variety of external forces, which help define and shape the English language into its modern day form. According to Spielvogel, “the urban centres and the urban population of Europe were experiencing a dramatic expansion” and “new forms of cultural and intellectual expression also arose in this new urban world” (185). With this new jest for life, the people Britain and Europe during the Medieval period were fueled with desire to trade, and expand their territory. The two major, most influential contributing factors that shaped the development of the Middle English language were the lasting implications of the French language that were brought to England with the conquest William the first, and the devastation to the population that the Black death of the fourteenth century brought to England. Thanks to these two lingering influences the English language was allowed to regain its status as the official language of the country.
During the eleventh century the Old English period brought to an end with the invasion of William the first in the year of 1066. Due to this invasion from France, and the established rule of the new French King, the period Old English was brought to an end, and the French language began its dominant rule over the English language. Although the French language appeared to have dismissed the English language altogether, it had in fact infused the English language with new components, helping to enrich the language into its Middle English form. English was now a language connected to the continent, thanks to the invasion of the new French monarch, the language would continue to be influenced by many dialects. Spielvogel notes that because of the ...
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... Middle English was a language that was constantly being influenced by external factors. Interestingly, the prevailing of the Middle English language was thanks to the deaths caused by invasion and plague over the course of the High Middle Ages. By the end of the Middle English period the English language had been almost forgotten, then enriched by other prevailing dialects, and finally revived into a new form, and put back to its place of authority as the recognised official language of England. However lengthy the development of Middle English was, its journey was accomplished thanks to titanic external forces of invasion and plague.
Works Cited
Fennell, Barbara A. A History of English A Sociolinguistic Approach. 17. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2001. Print.
Jackson J., Spielvogel. Western Civilization. 8th. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning , 2014. Print.
Since it’s been a predominant topic of our discussion, let us talk about the infamous English language. We can be sure that it has painstakingly progressed throughout generations of reevaluation and modernization, and has thus become what it is today. It has gone in several directions to try and mesh with the various epochs of language, from the Shakespearean era to the common English slang we use now, we can all agree that English is a language that has been transcending and will continue to transcend into many
Changes in Britain between 1750-1900 There were many changes in Britain between 1750-1900.These changes included; Population, Work, Transport, Health, Culture and Politic. This essay will analyse how greater a difference it made throughout the years in detail. One of the biggest changes were population. Population changed dramatically. In 1750 the total population was about 11 million.
land for protection. Given the three countries of France, Germany, and England to further explore
The Middle Ages encompass one of the most turbulent periods in English History. Starting with the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest. When Duke William of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror effectively took all of the lands from the Saxon English and gave them to French nobles. there were some points that took my attention the
As its name suggests, Middle English is the language that was spoken in the country of England around the 12th to 15th centuries. Middle English became the prominent language in England near the end of the 11th century shortly after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror in 1066. Unlike England's preceding language, Old English, Middle English evolved into much more of a written language. There were many writers and educated English scholars who worked to translate Old English texts into the new Middle English language. There were also writers, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, who used the Middle English language to write new works which employed new and creative literary techniques. One such work, The Canterbury Tales, is a work that has been recognized as having an extreme significance on the development of the Middle English language. This work is argued to be the greatest literary contribution to the Middle English language and is credited with popularizing the language among literary scholars. However, despite its historical influence on the Middle English language, the significance of the work is less seen today because of the evolution of Modern English. As a result, it is important to investigate the origins of this work and in so doing, make an effort to realize the overall importance of reading the text in its original Middle English language.
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Baugh, A.C., & Cable, T. (2001). A history of the English language (5th ed.). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
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