Medieval Life Documentary: Unveiling the Middle Ages – Culture, Language, and Life

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The story of the English language is a fascinating one, a tale of dominance, decline, and eventual resurgence. Before the Norman Conquest of 1066, the language of the Anglo-Saxons, known as Old English, held a position of high status. It was used in legal documents, government writs, and even translations of the Bible, coexisting alongside the universal language of Western Christendom – Latin. The dominant dialect of this period was the Old English of Wessex, spoken in central southern England.

However, the Norman Conquest marked a turning point in the English language’s fortunes. The Norman-French conquerors, with their own language and cultural influence, replaced Old English as the language of the elite and the upwardly mobile. William the First, despite initial attempts, abandoned learning English, and for nearly three centuries, England was ruled by monarchs whose first language was not English. This linguistic and social divide is still evident in modern English. For example, we consume “beef, mutton, and pork”, but those who care for these animals in the fields and barns work with “cows, sheep, and pigs/swine”. This stark difference in language reflects the societal gap between the laborers and the aristocracy.

Despite its decline, English remained the language of the majority of the population. Nevertheless, the upwardly mobile and economically active were compelled to learn Norman-French, which itself began to evolve into a provincial form of French as English rulers lost land in France during the early thirteenth century. This isolation further distanced the French spoken in England from its continental counterpart.

00:00 Context
07:39 Personal names
15:29 Education
20:11 The written word
27:56 Dining and table etiquette
34:27 Fashion
38:22 The origins of drama
44:48 The English at play: board games
47:57 The English at play: sport

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