The World – A Global Family

The origins of the English language being Germanic, more specifically coming from the tribe called ‘Angles’, it is surprising that there are so many French words which have been retained in the English vocabulary. The Norman conquest of Britain in the 11th century was responsible for the heavy borrowings from Norman-French that ensued. For several hundred years after the Duke of Normandy’s invasion of the British Isles, a version of Anglo-Norman was spoken by the upper classes in England. Thereafter, this developed into Modern English.

In the 21st century, many more French words and phrases entered the lexicon due to cultural exchanges such as literature, arts and diplomacy. The world, now more than ever, is a global family. As such, the new words incorporated in the language have not lost their character and remain unmistakably foreign and French to an English speaking person. The inherent identity of these words can be recognised by the use of italics in written text.

Some of the more commonly used French words in the English lexicon are: