Abstract

    From Old English to Modern English, English language has experienced a long history. Among them, the Norman Conquest in 1066, marked the end of the era of Anglo-Saxon. It not only has huge impact on British politics, economy and culture, but also contributed to the transformation from the Old English to Middle English. This paper is mainly to discuss how Norman invasion influence the English language and its specific performance.
    The effect of Norman Conquest on English language has been studied in the academic world for a long time. But at home, it is still discussed from the aspects of linguistics. Norman Conquest, as the last time of foreign invasion in Britain, has a profound influence on the English language. During the Norman era, Norman French became the official language and a symbol of status. Meanwhile, English was the language of folk people, the form of an inferior language. According to statistics, there are about 10000 French words which are borrowed in English, 75% of which are still used in modern English. The Middle English lost the inflectional forms of Old English and the grammar structure became simple and flexible. In conclusion, Norman Conquest symbolized the beginning of English language revolution.
This article is divided into four parts. The first part briefly introduces the history of Norman Conquest and the transition from Old English to Middle English. The second part analyzes the change of English status. The third part discusses the influences of the influx of French words in the English vocabulary. And the last chapter mainly analyzes the change of English grammar.

Key words: Norman Conquest; Middle English; vocabulary; grammar

摘  要

    英语语言历史悠久，伴随着外族入侵，英语从古英语向现代英语转变。1066年的诺曼征服在结束了盎格鲁撒克逊统治时代的同时，不仅对英国的政治、经济、文化产生巨大影响，还促使了古英语向中古英语的转变。本文通过了解英语发展的历史背景和文化，探讨外族入侵是如何影响英语语言及其具体的表现。
关于诺曼征服对英语发展的影响这一问题，从国内来说，还只是从语言学方面进行了论述，国外一些论著虽已从语言学以外的角度谈及诺曼征服对英语的影响，但仍不够具体、透彻。诺曼征服是外族对英国的最后一次入侵，对英语语言产生了巨大的影响。诺曼时期，法语成为了英国的官方语言，法语成为地位的象征，而英语则降为了民间老百姓使用的语言。大量法语词汇融入英语，据统计，大约有1万个法语词被英语借用，其中75%至今还在现代英语中使用。中古英语失去了许多词尾变化，也没有古英语的屈折形式，语法结构变得简单灵活。诺曼征服标志着英语语言革命时代的开始。
本文总共分为四个部分。第一部分简要地介绍了诺曼征服的历史情况以及古英语向中古英语的过渡；第二部分分析英语地位的变化；第三部分探讨法语词汇的涌入对英语词汇的影响；第四部分分析英语语法的变化。

关键词：诺曼征服；中古英语；词汇；语法