LL-L "Orthography" 2010.08.08 (05) [EN]

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*L O W L A N D S - L - 08 August 2010 - Volume 05
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From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>

Subject: LL-L "Orthography" 2010.08.06 (02) [EN]



From: R. F. Hahn
<sassisch at yahoo.com<http://uk.mc264.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=sassisch@yahoo.com>>


Subject: Orthography



Paul,

I wonder if the /k/ before /n/ got lost during Norman times, since initial
/kn/ is a non-permissible sequence in Romance languages. So it may already
have happened by Chaucer's time, at least in prestige varieties of English.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA



Thing is, before Chaucer's time, there *were* no prestige varieties of
English.  If you were somebody, or aspired to be, you spoke French.
Initially Norman French, though by Chaucer's time, following the rise of the
Angevins and Plantagenets, that too had acquired a "backwoodsy" reputation.



English was for the lower orders, and while it borrowed heavily from French
(partly by people hoping to improve their status), I suspect that French
pronunciation wouldn't have a lot of impact.  French-speakers wouldn't even
bother trying to speak English, correct pronunciation or not.



The major turn-around was the 14th Century, largely under the twin impacts
of the Great Plague (which made labourers scarce and thus valuable) and the
rise of the merchant class.  The latter spoke English and Flemish in their
day-to-day dealings; they had money, and thus, ultimately, influence.
Chaucer himself was very much an example of the English commoner with
influence in the Court.



The transformation was incredibly fast; Edward I who ruled at the start of
the 14th C spoke virtually no English - he knew a few choice swear-words.
His great-grandsons Richard II, and Henry Bollingbroke who usurped Richard
to become Henry IV, ruled at the end of the century, and both routinely used
English as their first language.  Henry's son Henry V was monolingually
English, he needed an interpreter when negotiating with France.



So, back to the topic of "kn", I would still expect the native use to have
survived unaffected by French to at least 1300, probably starting to fade
around the time of Chaucer and the Plague.



This period of transition is very well described in Basil Cottle's book
"Triumph of English" if you ever bump into a copy. It must be out of print
by now.


Paul

Derby

England



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