Me Phonology

1)Scandinavia invasion and its influence on the development of the English Language

Two important events marked the close of the Old English and the beginning of the Middle English period: the invasion of England by the Scandinavians and the Norman Conquest in 1066. These events greatly influenced the subsequent development of the English language.

The invasion of England by the Scandinavians and its influence on the development of the English language.

Relations between the Scandinavians and the English in Britain became peaceful. Their languages co-existed in close contact. The population in in this part of the country was practically mixed. The languages of the Scandinavians and the English were very similar in respect to grammar and vocabulary, so that the Scandianavians and the English could understand each other easily.

The Scandianvian invasion influenced the English language.

The majority of the Scandinavian geographical names are found in the region of Dana lagu i.e. in the northeastern part of the country.

For example the Scandinavian “by” took the place of the Old English “burh” in many names, e.g. Badby (OE Baddan-byring), Derby and so on.

Old English	Aeg	Scandinavian	egg
Old English	giefan	Scandinavian	gefa (Mid. Eng. give)
Old English	gietan	Scandinavian	geta (Mid. Eng. get)

Very often loan words from Scandinavian dialects did not indicate any new things or notions and at first they existed and were used along with the Old English words.

Old English	niman	Scandinavian	taka
Old English	heofon	Scandinavian	sky

But such synonyms could not exist for a long time. In some cases the English word was dropped out and the Scandinavian word took its place, as “take” instead of “niman”. In other cases the meaning of the parallel words became slightly different, as “heaven” –“sky” and both words continue to exist in the language.

Both in the Anglo-Saxon and the Scandinavian languages there were many words derived from common Germanic roots but differing in their endings, e.g.

2. The Norman Conquest and its Influence on the Development of the English Language.

The Normans were better developed culturally that the Englishmen of the period. Along with feudal law they brought their culture and the French language with them.

Note: the Normans were the desoendants of the Scandinavians who had invaded northern France early in the X-th century and adopted the French culture and spoke the French language.

French became the official language in England. It was used at court, in law, at the schools, in literature and had almost completely eliminated the use of English in these fields.

Besides directly influencing the vocabulary increase in the English language, French also influenced the system of spelling and word-formation. However, there was no great influence as regards grammar. French borrowings (loan-words) and suffixes will be dealt with further.