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English is one of the most spoken languages in the world, and there are English speakers all over the planet. As a result, English has influenced many languages, and many languages have influenced English.
1066 was a decisive year in the history of English. It was then that William the Conqueror invaded the British Isles. Many changes took place with the invasion, and these changes also affected the English language. The invaders spoke a French dialect called Anglo-Norman. This dialect became the language of the court, and it also became the language of culture. All educated people in England spoke Anglo-Norman, and Old English became the language of common people.
In the long run, the Saxons, who had lived in England since before the Norman invasion, accepted their Norman conquerors. This also influenced the language: English began to change. Many thousands of new words have entered English since the 15th century. These words have come from languages such as Greek, Latin, and also from French. Some examples of the influence French has had on English include words such as ‘bacon’, ‘minuscule’, ‘aubergine’ and ‘rectangle’, and expressions such as ‘avant-garde’, ‘on the menu’, ‘c’est la vie’ or ‘bon voyage’.
As you can see, English and French have more in common than most people think. The influence of French on English is so great that almost a third of the words in today’s English come from the French language.
