Episode 72: The Dark Ages of English
The History of English Podcast
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The Language Shift in England During Henry's Reign
During this chapter, the focus is on the language shift happening in England during the reign of Henry. The scribes at Canterbury and the monks at Peterborough were the only ones maintaining annual chronicles in English, but in 1109, the monks at Canterbury switched to Latin, while the monks at Peterborough continued to use English. Most new manuscripts during this period were composed in Latin, but French started to emerge as an alternative, especially for literature, as most aristocrats in England spoke French.
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