Seth Lerer from The Great CoursesLecture 9: In this fascinating lecture, Professor Lerer looks closely at the changes wrought by the French in English during the 11th to the 14th centuries. In the process, he raises questions about what we might call the "sociology" of language change and contact.
Lecture 10: This lecture presents the central features of Chaucer's English. Its goal is not only to address a particular period in the history of the language (or even in the history of literature) but to allow you to recognize and appreciate the force of Chaucer's poetry and its indelible impact on English linguistic and literary history.
Lecture 9: What did the Normans do to English?
Words borrowed for two reasons
- prestige
- vacant slots with no native words
English words for animals in the countryside, but the words for cooked meats are French
- cow/beef
- deer/venison
- sheep/mutton
Trilingualism: English, French, Latin
Lecture 10 Chaucer’s English
This lecture presents the central features of Chaucer’s English. Its goal is not only to address a particular period in the history of the language (or even in the history of literature) but to allow you to recognize and appreciate the force of Chaucer’s poetry and its indelible impact on English linguistic and literary history.
