Eng 109 the rise of english

The Rise of English Language

Nafis Kamal

Reg. No.: 13116003

Tasrul Jahan

Reg. No.: 13116005

Priyanka Barua

Reg. No.: 1311609

Tasneem E Zannat

Reg. No.: 13116004B.A. (Hons) in EnglishUniversity of Asia

Pacific

We are …

The Battle of Hastings

In 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, the Normans defeated

the English and start a century-long conquest of England.

And William (Duke of Normandy) crowns himself as the

ruler of England.

Result of the Battle of Hastings

English children became bilingual

Materials written in English became very scarce

Royalties and government officials began speaking French

More people adapted French language.

The Loss of Normandy

King John "lost" Normandy in 1204 . And The loss of Normandy in

1204 started the reestablishment of English.

The separation of the French and English Nobility

With the loss of Normandy, many nobles

had to decide where their allegiance lay . . .

France or England.

Philip, and later Louis, helped solve this

problem: he confiscated the land of many

nobles. Those who still had holdings in both

places were forced to give up one or the

other.

By 1250 the holdings had been divided and

there was no real reason for using French.

Promotion of National Feeling

The favour of foreigners in the

course of Henry III led to the

reaction against foreigners and

the national feeling is reflected of

having the knowledge of English

as an Englishman.

Provisions of Oxford

Provisions of Oxford, (1258), in English history, a plan

of reform accepted by Henry III, in return for the promise of

financial aid from his barons. It can be regarded as England’s first

written constitution. When English is used as a language of

constitution, the importance of the English language is increased.

The 100 Years’ War

The Hundred Years War (1337-

1453). It was between England

and France, and France defeated

by England. And England no longer

had any reasons to learn or use

French.

The Black Death

The first of these events was the

Black Death (1348), one-third of the

people in England died of the Black

Death between 1348 and 1351. With

the decreasing of the population,

the need to labor was increased. The

ruling classes were had to respect

the lower classes because they

needed them so much. This respect

leaded them to respect English too.

Latin and French Teachers and Scholars 

Hundreds of Latin and French

teachers and scholars died

during the Black Death plague.

As a result faced a lack of

academicians versed.

French as a Language of Culture and Fashion

English was generally adopted in courts and schools in the 14th

century and at the end of 15th century, French was out of use as a

spoken language in England and was restricted as a language of

Culture and Fashion.

English in the Law Courts Soon after the Norman Conquest, French was the language of all

legal proceedings. But in 1356 proceedings in the courts of

London and Middlesex were ordered to be in English. And in 1362

the Statute of Pleading was enacted in the Parliament, and was to

go into effect in the following year. According to this statute all

lawsuits were to be conducted in English in England.

The Rise of the Middle Class

The Normans invaded England in 1066

and English became language of

middle class people. But The Hundred

Years’ War (1337-1453) and the Black

Death in 1349 caused the serious lack

of labour and the rise of the middle

class, among whom English was more

commonly spoken, which increases the

importance of English.

The Use of English in Writing

The last step in the gradual ascent of

the English language was its

employment in writing. It was only in

the fifteenth century that English

succeeded in replacing both. The

earliest letters written in English

appeared in the latter part of the

fourteenth century, although there

were few before 1400. Eventually,

after 1450 English letters were used

everywhere.An example of Middle English by Chaucer.

The Status of English in the 14th Century

The General Adoption of English, at the beginning of the fourteenth

century everyone in England knew English. At that time, both the

learned and unlearned understood English. And in 1362 the

Parliament was opened with a speech in English for the first time.

Such instances show that in the fourteenth century English was

again the principal tongue of all England.

Middle English Literature

The separation of the English nobility

from France around the year 1250,

and the spread of English among the

upper class. Thus the hundred years

between 1250 and 1350 is labeled the

Period of Religious and Secular

literature in English literature. The

period from 1350 to 1400 is called the

Period of Great Individual Writers.

References Baugh, C. Albert. Cable, Thomas. A History of English the Language, New Delhi, Replika Press Pvt. Ltd. 2009.

Drout, D.C. A History of English the Language. London. Hodder Education.2005.

Provisions of Oxford. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2010 ed.

“English and Its Historical Development”. English-Word Information. 15 November 2013.31 January 2014. http://wordinfo.info/unit/4208/ip:5/il:E

Giddens, Anathony . Sociology, Malden, Polity Pres. 2006.845-858