English, the language of Shakespeare’s profound poetry, is primarily a Germanic language, but most of its words are borrowed from French. We mock the French all the time for being too fancy, unaware that all those words we speak to look sophisticated are indeed stolen from the French dictionary. As stats show, an average English speaker knows over 10,000 French words before they even learn to speak French. From ballet and fiancé to words as simple as restaurant and bouquet are all French in origin. But here a question arises in our minds… why English, a language so independent and quirky, is heavily influenced by French? Let’s unravel what gave birth to this hybrid language.

The History of the English Language

Let’s go back in time to see where the two languages crossed each other’s paths. This happened in 1066, when everybody was peacefully living in England, and then all of a sudden, William, the French conqueror, showed up. He dethroned the English king and declared French the official language. For the next 300 years or so, the kings and noblemen all spoke French. Even the governments and courts started adopting French. In all this chaos, instead of getting lost in translation, English started absorbing the French. As a result, it became a mixture of Germanic, French, and Latin languages, giving itself a linguistic makeover. According to research done by Joseph M. Williams, French and Latin contribute 29% of the English vocabulary, respectively. While the remaining 26% is Germanic, 6% is Greek, 4% is derived from proper names, and 6% is other languages.

What Changed Our Vocabulary?

French has a major role in the makeover of the English vocabulary. English was once a Viking-sounding language, but French made it sound all fancy and elegant. A language everybody would wanna speak. In Old English, only 3% of the words were borrowed. But now, almost 70% of the English language consists of borrowed words. The words we now use to sound posh or educated are not even English. Boutique, cuisine, genre, all the words that either sound expensive or just take extra effort to pronounce are French. So, when your teachers asked you to use difficult words in your essays, they were actually asking you to write French. Because the truth is, English just gives a solid Germanic skeleton. It is French that makes it sound all romantic, sophisticated, and yes, dramatic.

Why English Has Two Names For Everything?

Have you ever wondered why, for almost every word, English has a twin word in store? One is basic, while the other sounds all fancy and elegant. House-mansion. Smell-fragrance. But why? English has a serious identity crisis. It is a blend of different languages, often producing two or more words with similar meaning. This is because the Anglo-Saxons kept using Old English in their daily lives, speaking words like house, smell, and cow. Meanwhile, the nobles influenced by the French turned all these words into some fancy term. So, a peasant raising animals on a farm would say cow, sheep, and pig, but the noble would have them on their tables as beef, mutton, and pork. You see the difference, right? English evolved with this dilemma, providing us a variety of words to use depending on how fancy we feel. Like you would help your friend, but offer to assist your boss. This variety of words makes English both flexible and rich.

English With a French Twist

Over the years, English has disguised itself as an easy-to-learn and straightforward language. The kind you can learn from anywhere and become proficient. But what they don’t tell you is how closely interwoven it is with a language as difficult as French. Imagine getting all expert in English only to get hit with phrases like déja vu and faux pas! Native English speakers add French phrases in their speeches to sound cultured or sophisticated. The English language we know today can be confusing sometimes. Like, why does the word king start with a K, but for Queen we use Q? Why can’t we use C instead? Basically, when French was introduced in English vocabulary, it changed the course of everything. The spellings, pronunciations, and even a lot of the Old English alphabet were replaced by new ones. In short, French didn’t just secretly sneak in; it came stomping, giving English a whole new makeover.

You Speak French Without Noticing

You think you’re speaking English, but you’re unknowingly slipping French words all along. It’s crazy to realize that almost half of the words we speak daily are French. This is because English hasn’t stolen words from French, but absorbed them and diluted them. We can be both casual and classy when speaking English. A surprising amount of English vocabulary is just French. So, whether you admit this or not but you are secretly bilingual. You don’t need to set foot in Paris or actually learn French to speak it. You cannot master English without learning a few words from French. And from a few, I mean an average of 10,000 French words. The best bit is, both have such different moods and give English a dual personality. It’s like one is heavy-duty shoes and the other is silk gloves.

A Hidden Vocabulary Connection

Believe it or not, but English and French are long-lost twins, different but identical. They not only look alike, but also share the same meaning. Sometimes they share the same spellings too, like fiction or passion, and sometimes they are so different, like English adverbs end in “ly” but French ones end with “ment”. Here are a few examples explaining the love-hate relationship between English and French.

Why English Feels So Vast?

English isn’t just a stand-alone language. In fact, it is a linguistic blend of invasions, cultural influence, and hierarchy. The French play the biggest role in the evolution of the English language. From being a Viking language to becoming one of the most spoken languages around the world, English owes its glamour and influence to the French. Imagine how boring Shakespeare’s poetry would be without the words chivalry, rendezvous, or romance. This is why English feels so expressive and euphemistic. Even confusing, sometimes. So if you are a proficient English speaker, congratulations, you’re bilingual too!