routledge+history+of+literature+in+english

Language and dialect
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first voice in Middle English. As the use of English becomes less selfconscious,
writers develop a more colloquial and familiar style, using
idioms and proverbs to bring their writing closer to the reader. Since
Latin (the language of religion) and French (the language of the conquerors)
dominated the nation and its culture for almost two centuries, such writings
are a valuable indication of the assertion of a national linguistic identity,
despite the considerable diversity of dialects in use.
LANGUAGE NOTE
The expanding lexicon: Chaucer and Middle English
A distinctive stylistic feature of the Middle English period was a rapid
expansion in the number of words. These words often entered the language
from Latin but by far the majority of imports were French (and, indeed,
some of the Latin words may have arrived through the vehicle of French).
Middle English vocabulary thus often has sets of words each with a different
origin and each conveying more or less the same meaning but with different
patterns of use. For example, some modern equivalents are:
Old English French Latin
ask question interrogate
kingly royal regal
holy sacred consecrated
fire flame conflagration
clothes attire
house mansion domicile
sheep mutton
calf
veal
In each case, the Old English-derived lexical items are generally
more frequent in English and more colloquial and are more central and
core to the language; the words of Latin origin are more formal, learned
and bookish in their use; the French words are considered to be more
literary in function. It can also be noted that the French words confer a
more elevated style on words used in domestic and culinary domains.