Norman Conquest Research Paper

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The Norman Conquest refers to the invasion of England by the Normans in the year 1066. Norman conquerors came from a province formerly in northwestern France called Normandy. The invasion happened under the leadership of Duke William II and William the conqueror (Thomas, 2008). The English people staged several attacks on the Normans with an aim to resist the invasion on their land. However, the strong leadership of the Normans led England to succumb to the pressure. The Norman Conquest had a number of consequences on the English people and their culture. The consequences were the elimination of an elite group from the society, expatriation of people from their native land, and the introduction of new governance systems. Others included the development of language, high rate of immigration, and intermarriages between the two groups. The Norman invasion marked a crucial time in the development of the English language. The conquest resulted in the development of two categories of the English language called the Old English and the Middle English (Thomas, 2008). Old English refers to the language used before the Norman Conquest, while the Middle English refers to the language used after the conquest following the addition of numerous French vocabularies. The main difference between the two categories is the grammatical elements and the collection of words (Butcher, 2013). The conquest also influenced the development of sound and structure elements of the English language. The Norman Conquest resulted in a complete transformation of the English language.
Discussion
The Norman conquerors arrived in England towards the end of the 11th Century. In the year 1066, some crucial events that led to the development of the modern English langu...

... middle of paper ...

...Kentish, West Saxon, Northumbrian, and Mercian. Since the Normans came from France and had already taken over the rule over England, certain dialects of the French language integrated into the English language. Several years after the Normans had invaded England, the English language underwent numerous changes due to the influence of various settlers. However, the arrival of the Normans in England introduced a new language and culture. Most people had little knowledge about the language and culture introduced. The French language was a preserve for the upper class and the ruling class. Although French remained a language of the upper class and the rulers for a long time, a period came when even the people in higher social classes considered it a necessity to learn the English language. The Norman Conquest resulted in a complete transformation of the English language.

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