The Norman Conquest (The History of English)

Notes:

duty-free Galois's multipack - a box of French cigarettes from the airport shop

‘de rigueur’ - required by etiquette or fashion

‘ad nauseam’ - to the point of nausea

toffs - members of the upper classes, especially ones who are elegantly dressed

bonhomie -  excessive friendliness

indecipherable - difficult to understand

Watch the video and do additional video exercises HERE.

Are these sentences True or False?

• William the Conqueror invades England in 1055.
• Words like ‘judge’, ‘evidence’ and ‘justice’ come from the German language.
• Latin was still used in church.
• The common man spoke English able to communicate only by speaking more slowly and loudly until the others understood him.
• Words like ‘cow’, ‘sheep’, and ‘swine’ come from the French-speaking farmers.
• Words like ‘beef’, ‘mutton’ and ‘pork’ come from the French-speaking toffs.
• It is difficult to understand menus in English restaurants because they are in French.
• All in all the English absorbed about eight thousands new words from the Normans
• The English don’t like the French rule of cheek kissing.
• Words like ‘armies’, ‘navies’, and ‘soldiers’ come from the French language.
• The English  began the Hundred Years’ War against France.
• It actually lasted 126 years but by that point no one could count any higher in French and English took over as the language of power.

Fill in the gaps with the words:

‘swine’, ‘judge’, ‘beef’, power, invades, church, ‘navies’, common, count, rule

1066. True to his name William the Conqueror 1._______ England bringing new concepts from across the channel like the French language, the Doomsday book and the duty-free Galois's multipack.

French was ‘de rigueur’ for all official business with words like 2._______, ‘evidence’ and ‘justice’ coming in and giving John Grisham’s career a kick start.

Latin was still used ‘ad nauseam’ in 3._______, but the 4._______ man spoke English able to communicate only by speaking more slowly and loudly until the others understood him.

Words like ‘cow’, ‘sheep’, and 5._______ come from the English-speaking farmers.

While the ‘a la carte’ versions 6._______, ‘mutton’ and ‘pork’ come from the French-speaking toffs, beginning a long running trend of restaurants having completely indecipherable menus.

All in all the English absorbed about ten thousands new words from the Normans, though they still couldn’t grasp the 7._______ of cheek kissing.

The bonhomie all ended when the English nation took their new warlike lingo of ‘armies’, 8._______, and ‘soldiers’ and began the Hundred Years’ War against France.

It actually lasted 116 years but by that point no one could 9._______ any higher in French and English took over as the language of 10._______.

Read about a Norman church HERE and answer the questions:

1. What are the walls like and why?

2. Where did they keep water for baptizing people?

3. What does ‘baptizing’ mean? Have you been baptized?

4. Is stained glass in churches Norman?

5. What are the windows like?

6. What are the doors like?

7. Why are there big pillars inside?

9. Why was it dark in a Norman church?

10. What language did the priest speak?

11. Did people sit or stand in a Norman church?

12. Why was the church a big part of Norman life?

13. Why did the Normans build all these churches in the first place?

14. How would you feel if you were an Anglo-Saxon and watched all these cathedral and churches going up?

Questions for you:

• Do you know of any famous world cathedrals or churches?
• What are some famous Russian cathedrals?
• Has anyone invaded Russia? Who? When?
• Have the Russians invaded anyone?

Learn the words HERE.