Did you know that native English speakers regularly use well over a thousand French words in everyday speech and most don’t even realise they’re doing it? ‘Danger’, ‘machine’, ‘table’, ‘nature’, ‘invisible’, ‘certain’, ‘direct’, ‘souvenir’… Sure, the pronunciation changes but these words are true cognates -on false ones, read False Friends- and mean exactly the same in both languages. Many other words adopted from French into English have changed their spelling a little but the origins remain unmistakable: ‘government’ (French: gouvernement), ‘blue’ (bleu), ‘paper’ (papier) are just a few examples. In fact, it’s estimated that over a third of the English words we use today are derived, either directly or indirectly, from French.
The language of power
So, how did the French language come to have such a profound influence on English? The story begins in 1066 when William of Normandy, in northern France, invaded England and defeated the English king Harold at the Battle of Hastings. French-speaking William was was crowned king and there would be a French-speaking king on the throne of England for the next three hundred years. One of these kings, Henry II, inherited the throne of England in 1154 and together with his French wife Eleanor of Aquitaine ruled a kingdom that included not only England and Normandy but extended all the way down the west of France to the Pyrenees - a real French connection.
Rich and poor
But while the English royalty and nobility used French, the common people continued to speak English. This explains why animal names like ‘cow’ and ‘sheep’ derive from the Old English spoken by the common farmers while the meat these animals produce is expressed as ‘beef’ (from the French boeuf) and ‘mutton’ (mouton). While peasants worked the land in Old English the nobility dined in French.
Keep both
It’s estimated that some ten thousand French words were adopted into English during the three hundred years after the Norman invasion; the majority of these are still in use today. What makes this so exciting for English speakers is that very often when a French word was adopted, the English word was kept too. That’s why there are so many synonyms or near-synonyms in English, for example, the verbs ‘answer’ and ‘respond’. Is there a difference between them? They’re almost the same and yet each has a slightly different meaning or ‘nuance’ (another French word!) ‘Answer’ comes from Old English while ‘respond’ comes from French. What about ‘wish’ (Old English) and ‘desire’ (French)? They’re the same... but subtly different. Keeping both alternatives alive in the language has enriched English with a wide, precise vocabulary.
Adding that 'je ne sais quoi'
As well as individual words, numerous French expressions have been adopted, often adding a touch of class and sophistication! A ‘rendezvous’ sounds so much more romantic and secretive than a ‘meeting’; an ‘aperitif’ so much classier than ‘nibbles’. There are some French expressions that fill a gap where there simply isn’t a decent expression in English. Déjà vu is a good example. How could we possibly express in just two English words that weird sensation when you feel that you’ve experienced an event before? My personal favourite is 'l’esprit de l’escalier' - literally ‘staircase wit’- which expresses the situation where you think of the perfect reply to a person but it’s too late because they’ve already left.
Sex and food
It’s true that some areas of life seem to have attracted more French words and expressions than others. Sex, perhaps not surprisingly, is one, providing English with such concepts as ménage à trois, risqué, coquette and femme fatale. But the area of food is where French influence still really shines through. From everyday words such as ‘menu’, ‘restaurant’, ‘chef’, and ‘dessert’, to the more refined ‘gastronomy’, ‘gourmet’ and ‘hors d’oeuvres’, French defines the way English speakers talk about cuisine. Bon appétit!