The influence of military contacts on french loanwords in the english language

The article considers the problem of French words as loanwords in the English language, as a result of various armed conflicts and military contacts in the previous millennium. Loanwords are an important component of any language and, indeed, the vast majority of languages are heavily influenced by loanwords. War and armed conflicts in general, together with military cooperation, provide 'ideal' conditions for the emergence of loanwords in foreign languages. The English language experience of imperialism, globalization and cross-national commerce, involving such English-speaking countries as Great Britain and the United States of America, has led to a great many loanwords entering the language. Beginning from the Norman conquest of England, led by William the Conqueror in the year 1066, the French language in particular has had a considerable influence on the English language in general. This was a time of a new, French-speaking king, and the imposition of a new French-speaking ruling elite for England. Over the course of the next two hundred years, the royal family of England, along with their closest associates, were of French descent, intermarried with French royalty and nobility, and employed French retainers. Later, the Hundred Years' War (a series of military conflicts between England and France from 1337-1453) enabled a continuation of borrowings from the French language into English. This all left the indelible stamp of the French language on English forevermore. This was especially so in the sphere of military vocabulary, and even for the very word 'army', and also for words describing military formations, military terms as a whole, and military ranks. In World War I French words entered military slang. Different loanwords from old French, middle French and modern French are reviewed and analyzed in the context of English language military experience. A conclusion is made on the topicality of studying French words as loanwords in the English language due to armed conflicts and military contacts.

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