Chapter 10: Language Contact: French
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Janne Skaffari
Abstract
The French language can easily be regarded as the most important source of foreign influence in the history of English, especially if English lexis is considered. This chapter recounts the thousand years of English-French language contact and outlines the relevant contact-induced changes in English. A brief look at Central French, Anglo-Norman, and Law French is followed by a discussion of the external history of contact situations involving English and French. The medieval insular phase receives the most attention, particularly the onset and early developments, with particular emphasis on questions of bilingualism, the length of the contact period, and the role of French as a superstratum language. The chapter subsequently presents an overview of the linguistic changes caused or motivated by contact with French: while the considerable growth of Middle and Modern English lexis due to lexical borrowing has often been explored, there are also changes observable on the other levels of language, perhaps less obvious and often more uncertain.
Abstract
The French language can easily be regarded as the most important source of foreign influence in the history of English, especially if English lexis is considered. This chapter recounts the thousand years of English-French language contact and outlines the relevant contact-induced changes in English. A brief look at Central French, Anglo-Norman, and Law French is followed by a discussion of the external history of contact situations involving English and French. The medieval insular phase receives the most attention, particularly the onset and early developments, with particular emphasis on questions of bilingualism, the length of the contact period, and the role of French as a superstratum language. The chapter subsequently presents an overview of the linguistic changes caused or motivated by contact with French: while the considerable growth of Middle and Modern English lexis due to lexical borrowing has often been explored, there are also changes observable on the other levels of language, perhaps less obvious and often more uncertain.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- Abbreviations VII
- Chapter 1: Introduction 1
- Chapter 2: Middle English: Overview 8
- Chapter 3: Phonology 29
- Chapter 4: Morphology 50
- Chapter 5: Syntax 76
- Chapter 6: Semantics and Lexicon 96
- Chapter 7: Pragmatics and Discourse 116
- Chapter 8: Dialects 134
- Chapter 9: Language Contact: Multilingualism 165
- Chapter 10: Language Contact: French 184
- Chapter 11: Standardization 205
- Chapter 12: Middle English Creolization 224
- Chapter 13: Sociolinguistics 239
- Chapter 14: Literary Language 261
- Chapter 15: The Language of Chaucer 292
- Index 307
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- Abbreviations VII
- Chapter 1: Introduction 1
- Chapter 2: Middle English: Overview 8
- Chapter 3: Phonology 29
- Chapter 4: Morphology 50
- Chapter 5: Syntax 76
- Chapter 6: Semantics and Lexicon 96
- Chapter 7: Pragmatics and Discourse 116
- Chapter 8: Dialects 134
- Chapter 9: Language Contact: Multilingualism 165
- Chapter 10: Language Contact: French 184
- Chapter 11: Standardization 205
- Chapter 12: Middle English Creolization 224
- Chapter 13: Sociolinguistics 239
- Chapter 14: Literary Language 261
- Chapter 15: The Language of Chaucer 292
- Index 307
