THINKER'S ALMANAC - October 13

How did the defeat of England in 1066 lead to the growth and enrichment of the English language?

Subject:  Language - Plain English

Event:  Battle of Hastings, 1066 

Clear language engenders clear thought, and clear thought is the most important benefit of education. -Richard Mitchell

The year 1066 marks the most important year in the history of the English language.  The most important single day of that year was October 13th. It’s a date that might have signaled the beginning of the extinction of the English language; instead, it marks the beginning of a remarkable evolution and enrichment of the language.

At Hastings in Sussex, England, on this date, the Saxon army of King Harold confronted an invading army of French-speaking soldiers from Normandy, a province of France just across the English Channel. The Battle of Hastings was fought from approximately 9 am to dusk. Thousands of soldiers died that day, and the Norman army, led by William, Duke of Normandy, prevailed.  Harold was killed, shot through the eye with an arrow, and William marched his victorious army to London, where he was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.

Scenes from the bloody battle are depicted in the colorful Bayeux Tapestry, a 229 feet long embroidered cloth, which was commissioned by William’s brother not long after the battle (1).

William the Conqueror was now King of England.  The French-speaking Normans thus ruled England, and Norman-French, as well as Latin, became the language of government.  The Saxons were defeated, but their language did not die.  The conquering Normans were outnumbered by the Saxons, who continued to use English in their common, everyday activities.  So instead of being stamped out by French, English adsorbed French words, enriching its lexicon over the next two hundred years.

The Norman Invasion of 1066 marks the end of the Old English period of the history of English and the beginning of the Middle English period.  One of the rich legacies of this period is the great variety of words and rich well of synonyms that are characteristic of English.   We can see this difference illustrated by the Anglo-Saxon words ask, end, fear, and dead and their synonyms of French derivation, question, finish, terror, and deceased.  Some writers argue that we should favor the short, precise words of Anglo-Saxon origin over the longer words derived from French, Latin, or Greek.  Winston Churchill, for example, expressed his bias when he said, “Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all.”

Nearly one thousand years after the Battle of Hastings, the U.S. Government legislated the use of clear language in government.  On this day in 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Plain Writing Act.  Its purpose was to “improve the effectiveness and accountability of Federal agencies to the public by promoting clear Government communication that the public can understand and use.”  The bill encouraged the use of clear and concise language and discouraged the use of euphemisms and uncommon vocabulary (2).

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How did the English language benefit when the English army was defeated by the French in 1066?

Challenge:  Saxon Short Short Story

Is it possible to tell an effective story or give an effective speech using words of only a single syllable?  One way to test Churchill’s claim is to try your hand at writing using words of only one syllable.  It’s also an excellent way to learn to pay careful attention to your word choice.  In general, the foundational Anglo-Saxon words in English are one-syllable words, unlike words from French, Latin, or Greek, which tend to be more than a single syllable.  Write a narrative of at least 200 words, and make sure to use only one-syllable words. 

Sources:

1-Bayeux Museum. The Bayeux Tapestry.

2-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_Writing_Act_of_2010