Why and how did English borrow so much basic vocabulary from Norman French? Was French a real everyday language in Medieval Britain and not only a prestige formal language?

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French is a language that has always played a significant role in the composition of other languages. According to a study, almost half of the English words are derived from the French language. We use many English words in our daily lives such as abandon, adventure, advantage etc. which have been originated...
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French is a language that has always played a significant role in the composition of other languages. According to a study, almost half of the English words are derived from the French language. We use many English words in our daily lives such as abandon, adventure, advantage etc. which have been originated from the French Language. The French language was considered as the language for the royalty. It happened because there was an invasion of the Normans in England from France. Gradually, they started ruling the country. Still, the majority of the folks spoke English. So, to make it understandable for everyone, the law system started mixing the French words with English words. That’s the reason why we often find that the legal English language contains the combination of English and French words, like “rules and regulations.” Also, to make up for the differences in the class of the people, food items were given two different names. E.g., The English-speaking farmer raised pigs, which were then served at dinner to the French-speaking lord as pork. The Normans were in charge for about three centuries. So, this period is long enough for the two languages to be in contact like this, hence, borrowing a lot of words. read less
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