How the Normans changed the way we speak

Radio 4 is marking the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry in Britain with a special day of programmes reassessing the Norman Conquest and its meaning for us today.

In Word of Mouth, Michael Rosen explores the impact of the Norman invasion on the English language. He asks Dr Philip Durkin about the huge influence of Anglo-Norman, the dialect of French that was used in Britain after the Conquest for about 300 years. Philip's research found that of the 1000 most frequent words in modern-day written English, almost 50% of those words are borrowed from either French or Latin, or a mixture of both, and most of those show at least some influence from French and came into the language in this period. It would be difficult for us to speak English now without using these words.

Dr Philip Durkin is Deputy Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and leader of its team of specialist etymology editors. He's the author of Borrowed Words: A History of Loanwords in English.

Free Anglo-Norman dictionary online at: https://anglo-norman.net/

On-air programme announcements translated into Anglo-Norman by Dr Geert De Wilde, Senior Researcher and Principal Investigator, Anglo-Norman Dictionary. Pronunciation guidance provided by Dr Edward Mills from the Learning Anglo-French project at the University of Exeter.

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open University
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