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The influences of French words on English language

Naritsara Promrin

Words formation in English

English has various ways of making new words such as derivation, compounding,
functional shift, back formation, clipping and borrowing, etc. In fact, more than half of all
English words are non-English originally. Borrowing is one of the most important factors that
shaped many words in English. It is widely accepted that English is an international language
that is used worldwide to communicate with each other. Many countries use English as an
official or mother tongue language while many countries use it as a second language. As
English has been used extensively in communication and contacting with other nations, it
makes the use of two languages happens in the same time. Many words from other languages
are mixed in English language, most of which are the languages of neighboring countries that
have similar cultural characteristics influenced by religion, politics and others. Naturally,
language will always borrow words from other languages to use with them. When people of
both countries are related, the language of those two people will also mix with each other.
Kendris defines a cognate as following:
“A word whose origin is the same as another word in another language, there are
many cognates in French and English whose spelling is sometimes identical or very
similar, sometimes they appear to be related because of similar spelling, but they are not
true cognates” (Kendris 1990, p.19)
The method of borrowing words from other languages is not fixed. There may be
borrowing sounds, borrowing words or borrowing grammar, depending on the needs and
convenience of users. Therefore, it can be found that words borrowed from other languages
cause the changes of word, sound, and meaning from the original one in order to fit together.
Linguistic dictionary (Applied Linguistics) of the Royal Institute gives the definition of the
loanword as follows:
“The loanword is a term that word does not exist in the original language, but is a
new term imported from other languages with necessity due to lack of words to use, to
show new ideas, to call new things or because it is popular word in other languages
borrowed to use in their language. Borrowing can be divided into different types such as
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loanword proper, loan blend, loan shift and loan translation or claque” (Royal Institute
2014, p. 272)
Getting words from other languages is an important source of new English word.
Words are borrowed into a language to accompany new ideas, inventions, products, and so
on. English has borrowed words from other languages, especially French, Latin and Greek.
Marcheteau et al argue that:
"English of today is the result of successive linguistic influences, connected to
waves of invasions which has a long historic evolution during the Renaissance 15th
century -16th century, the intense activity of the translators and the writers has enriched
English of numerous words of Germanic, Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and
French origins" (Marcheteau et al 1997, p. 33)
Based on the research done in 1975 by Joseph M. Williams, a professor in the
Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago, where he
examined the 10,000 most frequently used words in English from Oxford Dictionary, the
result was shown in this charts.

The percentage of modern

English words derived from each
language group is as follows:
French: 29%, Latin (including
words used only in scientific,
medical or legal contexts): 29%,
Germanic: 26%, others: 16%. From
this chart, French and Latin have
had the most influence on English.

Joseph M. Williams’ research visualized (top 10,000 words).

Image by Murraytheb via Wikipedia Commons
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The causes of borrowing words

Language can be changed all time according to the period and the event of society.
However, the change of language is considered as the expansion of the language as a result
from the technological progress, the international relations, and the borrowing words from
other languages. Most language changes come from borrowing which is caused by the
relationship of two languages that influence each other. Borrowing is a common phenomenon
in all languages that comes from (Phraya Anumanratchaton 1990, p. 87):
1. Ethnic relations
In the countries with historical or geographical relevance, the people of both countries
are able to be transmitted from one language to another one.
2. Religious influence
The people of a country that respect the religion of another country also accept the
language of that country or those who do religious work must study the language of the
people they want to bring religion to publish as well.
3. Cultural exchange
Language is a part of culture; it is transmitted to each other. As usual, the language of
a nation that has a stronger culture allows transferring the culture to the weaker. Sometimes,
influential nations receive a culture from less influential nations.
4. Educational progress
When more people are educated, the opportunity to connect with other nations
becomes more extensive, so they need to study other national languages for easy and efficient
communication. Now, the study does not occur only in a certain country, but also all over the
world, it gives an opportunity to learn more languages and to borrow new words to use in
their own language.
5. Preference of people
It is another important reason for borrowing words from other languages to use in
their language. May be it is considered more elegant or fashionable.

The entering of French in England

English language has been formed by a number of other languages over the centuries.
As many other languages in the world, English has changed through its history. The causes of
its changes are due to the natural process, and some others are due to a result of language
contact. Words from other languages are so important that they have changed English from
pure language to a completely mixed one; many English speakers know that Greek, Latin and
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Germanic languages were most important, but many people don't know how much French
language has influenced on English language. Since the Norman Conquest in 1066, French is
one of the languages that have had more influence on English. Bill Bryson, an American
linguist of the English language, calls the Norman conquest of 1066 “the final cataclysm
[that] awaited the English language." When William the Conqueror became king of
England, French took over as the language of the courts, administration, and literature and
stayed there for 300 years.
Before 1066
At the beginning of the 11th century, the status of English language is not well-
defined. The inhabitants of Great Britain did not have a common language to clearly
communicate. Instead, there were many different Germanic dialects in use with vary dialects
existed. Great Britain, where various Celtic languages had coexisted, experienced partial
Roman occupation during the 1st century, and for four more centuries after that.
The language grew out of the dialects of three German tribes (Angles, Jutes, and
Saxons) who settled in Britain around 450 A.D. Germanic dialects displaced Celtic dialects,
which survived only in the west and the north of the island (Wales, Cornwall, Scotland) and
in Ireland. In the 8th century, Vikings from Scandinavia settled on the island. Their
languages, also Germanic, influenced the languages which has already presented on the
island.
At the beginning of 11th century, the country was made up of people with different
languages, mostly Germanic, but with multiple influences.
Norman Conquest of England and its consequences
French began to make many changes to English language in the period of the Norman
Conquest invading and occupying England in 1066. The Norman people used the Old French
language. French came to play a huge role in England in this era. There was a change in
language usage from Old English to old French. The Normans who settled in England at this
time did not speak English, but spoke French. That is why French influence a lot in England.
In 1066, Normans confronted at the Battle of Hastings. William II of Normandy
landed at Hastings on September 29, 1066. Harold II's troops of England lost the battle after
only one day. After the defeat of the England, Duke William II of Normandy became King of
England on December 25, 1066; he was crowned under the name of William I of England
and was known as William the Conqueror. This date marked the beginning of a long period
of relation between the people and languages of France and England. The arrival of William
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the Conqueror and his barons to England in the 11th century significantly changed the
linguistic situation in England. Croll states that:
“The Norman Conquest made English for two centuries that language mainly of
the lower classes, while the nobles and those associated with them used French on almost
all occasions” (Croll 2005, p. 4).
The new ruling class of Anglo-Normans imposed their language into the upper class
of society; Anglo-Saxon dialects were supplanted by Norman in the royal court and
aristocratic circles, the justice system, and the Church. Influential Norman settlers continued
to use their native language in daily life, while more modest, rural, and urban areas of society
continued to speak varieties of Old English. William the Conqueror and his heirs used French
as the national language of England in the group of elite and the courtiers. Only the
inhabitants speak English. There are 3 groups of people. The first one can speak only French.
The second can only speak English and those who speak both languages. Therefore, English
is a bilingual country. Dalton-Puffer pointed out:
“French has had a great impact upon the English language in undeniable the
findings of Berndt and Richter would suggest that this can hardly have happened through
mass bilingualism. The linguistic situation in England after the conquest is probably best
described in terms of diglossia” (Dalton-Puffer 1961, p. 7)
During the 12th century, French had a greater influence on Old English and became
the standard language of law and justice. Noble families, most of them of Norman origin,
taught their children in French or sent them to study in France. Royal marriages also
encouraged the expansion of the French language in England. From Henry II Plantagenet and
Eleanor of Aquitaine at the beginning of the 12th century, to Henri VI and Marguerite in the
15th century, many English kings married French princesses. These marriages kept French as
the language of English court for several centuries and were crucial in strengthening the use
of French in England. This period (12th-15th century) is characterized by a massive influx of
French words into Old English vocabulary.
After 1200, political and social changes have resulted in the revival of English and
English language once again became the national language of England. However, French
language still remains influencing the evolution of English language, which is most clearly
seen, is the vocabulary that can be seen in Chaucer and other writers in the 14th century and
Century 15 is filled with words that borrowed from French and vocabulary is an integral part
of English language.
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The 16th century, the Renaissance was a decisive century for French made French the
official language of administration in the whole kingdom. The language was marked by
intellectual, technical and scientific. It ushered in an era of prosperity that would also spread
to England through French.
The diffusion of French words into English
There are 3 periods of borrowing French words into English as follow:
1. Middle English (Norman Conquest 1100-1500)
2. Renaissance (14th century-15th century)
3. From the 17th century to present
The Norman Conquest era, when William of France had a victory over Harold of
England in 1066. Since that time, French language of the Normans has been used in English
languages, generally accepted in politics, government and high society. There are many types
of words borrowed from French in this period. French made some English words disappear
because of the French vocabulary that changed the words, the voice and the meaning.
Although some English words are still in use, but there are French words that have similar
meanings used in English as well.
The categories and examples of French words borrowed in the Norman Conquest
period.
1. Government affairs: government (gouvernement), nation (nation)
2. Luxury, high society and culture: deluxe (deluxe), honor (honneur), perfume
(parfum), champagne (champagne)
3. Words that show high rank: prince (prince), duke (duc), colonel (colonel)
4. Title of the name: madam (madame), mistress (maîtress)
5. Clothes: boot (botte)
6. Food: diner (diner), mustard (moutarde), beef (bœuf), pork (porc)
7. Family: cousin (cousin), uncle (oncle), niece (nièce)
8. Sport: card (carte), champion (champion), sport (sport), challenge (challenge)
9. Court and law: justice (justice), crime (crime), marriage (mariage), parliament
(parlement)
10. Religion: saint (saint), abbey (abbaye), service (service)
The Renaissance era is a new revival of arts and sciences, from the 14th century to the
15th century. By the end of the 15th century, French word was used more in English, which
was an important reason for education and research. There are many translations of literature,
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including arts and disciplines such as architecture ( architecture), arithmetic (arithmétique),

cartography (cartographie), dynamic (dynamique), ethic (éthique), and logic (logique).
From 17th century until now, there are both common words that do not seem to be a
French vocabulary because it has changed form before being used and the word that still
remains French vocabulary that we can call as French because those words still have various
marks of French language (accent in French), such as ´, `, ^ and ¨ on the vowels.
Examples of French vocabulary borrowed in this period include;
amateur ballet baton bizarre
bon voyage boulevard boutique brochure
buffet bureau café casserole
chef chic cigarette coupon
croissant déjà vu entrepreneur foie gras
foyer genre liaison massage
mayonnaise menu message moral
naïve nuance plateau rapport
ration rendezvous restaurant salon

French influence in different components of English language.

English language and its origins have been a controversial topic among many
linguists. English is classified as a (West) Germanic language. The other dominant language
family in Western Europe is the group of Romance languages: French, Italian, and Spanish,
all languages that have sprouted from Latin somewhere throughout history. Unlike other
Germanic languages, English shares a large portion of their vocabulary with French, often
attributed to the period of Norman French dominance in England. French influence can be
seen in different components of the language.
1. Vocabulary
The most important influence of French in English is the introduction of many
French words in English. Most similar words are often mixed together and created as new
words or use French instead. One of the factors in borrowing words is prestige. In cases of
close contact, the language with more powerful speakers will be regarded as more
prestigious. Generally, the less prestigious language borrows from the most prestigious one.
What makes a nation borrow words from another language has been clearly stated by Dr. J.A.
Sheared:
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"The acquisition of loan words from another language shows that the borrower
feels that there is something superior in the foreign language, or in the people who use it,
for we may suppose that no reasonable being would deliberately make use of foreign words
if he felt that his own language possessed words which did the job better.” (J.A. Sheared
1962, p. 26)
The borrowing will be concentrated in the semantic fields where the most prestigious
speakers have the greatest influence. That is why after the Norman Conquest makes a huge
influx of the French vocabulary into English. This French vocabulary is found in several
domains such as religion, army, art, government and administration. Therefore, French words
were borrowed instead of English and people borrowed words whose native equivalents
existed in their language. Mc Mahon (1994) states that:
“The unifying factor underlying all borrowings is probably that of projected gain;
the borrower must stand to benefit in some way from the transfer or linguistic material.
This gain may be social, since speakers often borrow material from a prestigious group or
it may be more centrally linguistics, in that a speaker may find a replacement in her second
language for a word which has become obsolete or lost its expressive force. However, the
most common and obvious motive for borrowing is sheer necessity. Speakers may have to
refer to some unfamiliar object or concept for which they have no word in their own
language”. (Mc Mahon 1994, p. 201)
French influence became increasingly evident in English manuscripts of the 13th
century. There are traces written from the etymological dictionaries that date precisely the
arrival of new words. These are absolutely not speculations. Words such as “cardinal”,
“prison”, “justice”, “couronne” (now “crown”), and all the aristocratic military, legal,
religious vocabulary, date back to that time and bear witness to the French influence. The
Anglo-Saxon language, derived from Old German was not written, and was very rural. So
when the Normans arrived with new concepts of culture, art, government organization, the
French words were used because they did not exist in German at that time. Lawless points
out:
“As a result of the Norman occupation of England, English adopted about 10.000
French words; of which around three fourth are still used today. This vocabulary found in
every domain: art, literature, cuisine, law, government. More than a third of all English
are derived from French either directly or indirectly. An English speaker who has never
studied French already knows around 15.000 French words” (Lawless 2006, p. 4)
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It has been estimated that more than 10,000 French words came into English at that
time. There are many words that are identical in the two languages. These words were largely
in terms administration, law, military, science including art and fashion. Here a list which
gives some English words coming from French:
Level Examples
Administration authority, court, duke, servant, council, baron, people, minister,
village, domicile
Law arrest, jury, judge, crime, executor, prison, punishment, advocate
Military army, defend, captain, enemy, combat, guard, soldier, prison, battle
Food and drink salad, appetite, beef, cream, dinner, fruit, olive, orange, raisin, juice,
sardine, vinegar, toast, tart, biscuit
Home basin, chimney, lamp, lantern, tower
Leisure and the arts conversation, music, theatre, image, debate, tragedy, volume, dance,
preface, rhyme, romance, title, poet, melody, literature, sculpture,
painting, contemporary art, beauty, figure,
Science and calendar, anatomy, geometry, geology, grammar, logic, mental,
knowledge research, sphere, poison, visual
Nature valley, mountain, river, fountain
Color blue, brown, violet
Jewelry emerald, diamond, crystal
Relationship aunt, cousin, parent, uncle, niece
Division of time hour, minute, second

2. Pronunciation
The introduction of many French words into English made some changes in the sound
system of the language. Normally, French people didn’t pronounce the letter /h/ at the
beginning of a word. Under the influence of French loanwords with initial /h/ were
pronounced with or without /h/ in Middle English. However, /h/ gradually came to be
pronounced in some words, such as honor, honest, hour and heir.
Another example, whereas Old English had the unvoiced fricative sounds [f], [s], [∫]
(as in fish, sing, shin), French influence helped to distinguish their voiced. The introduction
of Norman French loans such as veal, victory, zeal, zodiac and mirage introduced [v] [z] and
[ʒ] into the contexts where they had not previously appeared. As believed by Lawless:
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“English pronunciation was also affected by French. Old English had the unvoiced
fricatives sounds /f/ as in “fat”, /s/ as in “same”, /sh/ as in “shin” and the /th/ as in “thin”.
And French helped to distinguish the voiced sounds/v/ as in vote /z/ as in zone and / ʒ / as
in “mirage”. French also contributed to the introduction of the diphthong “oy” as in “boy”
(Lawless 2005, p. 4)
3. Grammar
The French language has little impact on English grammar in comparison with the
influence of the vocabulary level. After the Norman Conquest, grammatical purity and
accuracy is preserved in written language. Lawless (2006) states that:
“French had much less influence on English grammar, but you can see a Few
elements of French grammar in the English language. One notable example is found in
the word order of expressions like “attorney general” and “surgeon general”, where
English uses noun+adjective, which is typical of French rather than the normal word
order of adjective+noun”. (Lawless 2006, p. 5)
In Old English thou was used for the second person singular, and you for the second
person plural. The distinction between thou and you was the distinction of number. Gradually
under the French influence the plural forms were extended to singular use, while still
remaining the plural form. The tendency was to use thou forms as marked forms indicating
either intimacy or contempt, whereas you forms were neutral and polite.
As well as for the borrowings of a large number of French words, French affixes
found their ways into English. Moreover, the English suffixes were also added to French
loanwords such as: prefixes: con-, de-, ex-, pre-, en-, pro-, trans- and suffixes like: -ee, -ance,
-ant, -ation, -ment, -ism, -ity, -able, -al, -ous, -fy, -ize.
French and English share the same basic structure “subject-verb-object” and other
grammar points such as possessive , relative, direct- indirect speech, active/passive voice etc.
that the concept of use is the same, including the past/present/future tenses.
Tense English French
Present I eat an apple. Je mange une pomme.
Past I ate an apple. J’ai mangé une pomme.
Future I will eat an apple. Je vais manger une pomme.

The point that is clearly lost from English grammar is the noun’s gender system.
French has noun’s gender system: the same object which was masculine in English might
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have been feminine in French or vice versa. As we have mentioned before, until about 1200,
English had remained practically a spoken language. During this period, English also lost its
gender system because the easiest way was to use the natural gender to avoid the confusion.
Example: English Indefinite Article vs. French Indefinite Articles
English Indefinite Article French Indefinite Articles
A rat Un rat (masculine singular)
An orange Une orange (feminine singular)
Chairs (no determiner) Des chaises (feminine plural)

Characteristic of changes in the use of French in English

1. Sound changes
Sounds are important to show differences in languages, which will vary according to
the environment and the word borrowed by English users. Words borrowed from French can
be changed. Originally, there was no sound [ž] in English. After that English has changed
from [z] to [ž] which only occur in the middle of the word. When French influences on
English, this sound can also occur in the last of the word.
beige visage massage
barrage lounge mirage
Some words have the same spelling both in English and French but have different
ways of pronunciation.
table television nation
evolution crime danger
effort emotion royal
normal journal costume
fiction accident
2. Word changes
The transformation of the word is a characteristic of the obvious changes because
most are new words. The objectives of these changes are as follow:
2.1 to be suitable for the characteristic of English language
2.2 to be easy to pronounce in English
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Examples of French words borrowed have been changed.

French English
papier paper
soustitre subtitle
afrique africa
coutume custom
heritier heir
payer pay
tour tower
changer change
pique-nique picnic
calendrier calendar
catalogue catalog
forêt forest
fleur flower
ingénieur engineer
dialogue dialog

3. Meaning changes
When there is borrowing from other language, the meaning can be change. Darwich
assumes that:
“Sometimes certain words may have the same or very similar form in two
languages, but may have a different meaning in each. Such words are called false friends
or false cognates (faux amis)” (Darwich 1962, p. 223)
There are 4 ways of the meaning change:
3.1 Narrow meaning: the borrowed words have a narrow meaning;
“meat” The original meaning refers to food in general, but when borrowed to
use in English, it means only meat food.
“deer” The original meaning refers to the general animal, but when borrowed
to use in English, it means one type of animal is deer.
“worm” The original meaning refers to the general reptile, but when
borrowed to use in English, it means one type of reptile is worm.
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3.2 Widen meaning: words are meaningful but when it is used in English to
mean wider;
“virtue” The original meaning refers to one aspect of men, but when
borrowed to use in English, meaning including women and men.
3.3 Displaced meaning: the words that have one meaning, but when it is
borrowed, used in another meaning
“adjourn” The original meaning refers to set the date of appearance, but
when borrowed to use in English, it means stop.
“nature” The original meaning refers to the birth, but when borrowed to use
in English, it means nature, wildlife.
3.4 The original meaning: the vocabulary that was borrowed from French and
still has the same meaning in English, such as menu, coupon, ballet, restaurant, picnic,
visa etc.
The language changes over time as a result of the progress in the world. One language
influences on another language, whether directly or indirectly. English has changed through
its history. The French word has a wide influence in English because after England lost the
war between France and England. During that period, French language was used instead of
English for many years. When returning to use English again, some French words are still
used in English. Although, French language has been abolished, many French words are still
widely used in English until now. The current English vocabulary is of French origin. There
has been an influence in different levels of English such as vocabulary, pronunciation and
grammar.
Study of the loan words also helps to have the correct pronunciation that can be
helpful in communication. However, we do not need to pronounce completely like a native
speaker, according to David Crystal, a British linguist states that:
“If you’ve been teaching your students that there is only one kind of English and
that is British English and the only kind of accent is received pronunciation which is the
accent of the Queen and so on and you say that’s the only kind of English you’ll hear out
there you are going to be so wrong” (David Crytal, 2013)
If there is a wrong pronunciation but still communicating, it means equally the
achieving for the purpose of communication.
Nevertheless, the study of the influences of French on English language can represent
language change. Sometimes, some English words which had been used for long time were
taken place by the words borrowed from French. The original words were forced to be used
 14

differently or less than before and some can cause confusion among the users. For this
reason, it is necessary and inevitable to study the loanwords from French so that language
learners will be able to understand correctly and can use those words to communicate directly
as intended. Moreover, the study of French loanword in English is a guide to be able to use
the vocabulary correctly. It is also a part that points out the differences in the vocabulary of
two languages, which is useful in understanding and useful for those who continue to study in
higher education in the language field.
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1371255

The influences of French words on English language

Presented by
Naritsara Promrin
ID: 61254319
No. 13

Supervised by
Dr. Soranabordin Prasansaph

Faculty of Education, Silpakorn University

466 551 Linguistics for teachers
Academic year 2018
17