The Norman Conquest refers to the invasion of England by the Normans in 1066. The Norman conquerors came from a province formerly in northwestern France called Normandy. The invasion occurred under the leadership of Duke William II and William the Conqueror (Thomas, 2008). The English launched several attacks against the Normans in an attempt to resist the invasion of their lands. However, the strong leadership of the Normans caused England to succumb to the pressure. The Norman Conquest had many consequences on the English people and their culture. The consequences were the elimination of an elite group from society, the expatriation of people from their countries of origin and the introduction of new systems of governance. Others included the development of language, the high rate of immigration, and intermarriage between the two groups. The Norman invasion marked a crucial period in the development of the English language. The conquest resulted in the development of two categories of English language called Old English and Middle English (Thomas, 2008). Old English refers to the language used before the Norman Conquest, while Middle English refers to the language used after the conquest following the addition of many French vocabularies. The main difference between the two categories is the grammatical elements and the collection of words (Butcher, 2013). The conquest also influenced the development of the sound and structural elements of the English language. The Norman Conquest brought about a complete transformation of the English language. DiscussionThe Norman conquerors arrived in England towards the end of the 11th century. In 1066, crucial events led to the development of the modern English language...... middle of paper ......Kentish, West Saxon, Northumbrian and Mercian. As the Normans came from France and had already taken over England, some dialects of the French language became integrated into the English language. Several years after the Norman invasion of England, the English language underwent many changes due to the influence of various colonists. However, the arrival of the Normans in England introduced a new language and culture. Most people had little knowledge of the introduced language and culture. The French language was the prerogative of the upper class and the ruling class. Although French remained a language of the upper class and rulers for a long time, there came a time when even people belonging to higher social classes considered it necessary to learn the English language. The Norman Conquest brought about a complete transformation of the English language.