Comment on "Fry" is an ambiguous word in English
Jayjader@jlai.lu 4 months agoThe English royal court became french speaking after the normands invaded, around 200 or 300 years ago. Nobles and royalty can afford lavish meals and dishes.
They can also regularly afford meat, whilst it was the peasants who tended to the animals. Thus pork (from porc) vs pig, beef (from boeuf) vs cow, poultry (from poulet) vs chicken.
It doesn’t explainall of the gaps, but it’s an important part of the explanation.
And the well-heeled like keeping the distinction between them (French-speaking) and commoners (English-speaking).
It’s interesting, because that’s part of why Shakespeare was such a big deal - not only writing and performing in English for the Common Man, but was skewering the well-heeled while also expanding English.
Neat stuff.
teft@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Around 2 or 3 hundred years ago? William the Conqueror was 1066 homie.
Jayjader@jlai.lu 4 months ago
You’re right, thanks for the correction