#895 overall
The Norman Conquest of England
The Great Courses
1 recommender · 1 thread · recommended in 1 year, 2020 · score 0.7
A Great Courses lecture series on the Norman conquest of England, covering the Norman takeover after 1066 and its lasting effects on the language and society. Commenters note it also explains how Norman French blended with Old English to shape modern English vocabulary.
One commenter says they just finished it and found the professor's account of how Norman and Old English merged to give English its large vocabulary worth passing along.
Humanities & Social Sciencebeginnerpaidvideo lectures#norman conquest#medieval england#history of english#old english#norman french
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I agree. I read the same passage and had the same complaint.
I just finished a Great Courses lecture series on the Norman conquest of England, and the professor makes this very comment. And also argues that the melding of Norman--not 'French', Norman was a sister to Old French that looks more like Vulgar Latin--and Old English is what gives modern English its vast vocabulary, roughly twice the size of Spanish; as many words have the Germanic and Romance varieties. You can 'meet' someone or 'encounter' someone, etc.
Ironically, "Norman" comes from "north men", as Normandy was settled by Scandinavian invaders who "went native" in France. Then they "went native" again in England, forgetting their original Norman.