Middle English Period (1100-1500)

Middle English Period (1100-1500)

The Middle English period, spanning from the 12th century to the late 15th century, marks the second stage of the English language. It emerged following the Norman Conquest of 1066, when the Normans took control of England.

After the conquest, French became the language of the ruling class, while English remained the language of the lower classes. This linguistic division resulted in significant changes to English, such as a decrease in inflections and grammatical rules.

Middle English is commonly categorized into two periods: Early Middle English (11th-13th centuries) and Late Middle English (14th-15th centuries).

During the period following the Norman Conquest in 1066, Middle English emerged as the dominant form of the English language. This linguistic shift was primarily driven by the Norman kings and high-ranking nobles in England, who spoke a variation of Old Norman known as Anglo-Norman. This dialect, derived from a northern langue d'oïl dialect, was also prevalent among the elite in other parts of the British Isles. However, it is important to note that while merchants and lower-ranked nobles were often bilingual in Anglo-Norman and English, the common people continued to primarily speak English. Middle English, therefore, developed under the influence of both Anglo-Norman and later Anglo-French languages.

During the 14th century, Anglo-Norman and subsequently French were utilized as the official languages in courts and government. Even after the decline of Norman, standard French maintained its status as a formal and prestigious language. As a result, around 10,000 French and Norman loanwords were incorporated into Middle English, particularly in domains such as government, church, law, the military, fashion, and food. Despite English being a Germanic language, it has a profound connection to Romance languages. This connection can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, where the Normans spoke a variant of Old French. The amalgamation of Norman French and Old English gave rise to Middle English, a language that exhibits characteristics of both Germanic and Romance languages. 

Over time, Middle English evolved into the English language we use today, with nearly 60% of its vocabulary consisting of loanwords from Latin and Romance languages like French. Additionally, the influence of Old Norse on English becomes evident during this period, as discussed in the previous section. While the impact of native British Celtic languages on English is considered minimal, a few scholars have attributed certain grammatical forms, such as the periphrastic "do," to Celtic influence. 

However, these theories have faced criticism from other linguists. Some scholars have also proposed the hypothesis that Middle English may have been a Creole language resulting from contact between Old English and either Old Norse or Anglo-Norman. The resurgence of English literature began around 1200, as the political climate changed and the use of Anglo-Norman declined, making English more respected. The Provisions of Oxford, published in 1258, marked the first English government document to be released in the English language following the Norman Conquest. In 1362, Edward III became the first king to address Parliament in English.