Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Carol Williams Kisch’s Entangled Tongues: A Short History of the English Language or The Influence of French on English details how the Norman Conquest of 1066 introduced French as the language of England’s elite, courts, and legal system, profoundly influencing English vocabulary and grammar. She tells us that French and Latin dominated formal and religious contexts, while Old English, a Germanic language, lost much of its lexicon and shifted grammatically. Over centuries, bilingualism grew, and political events like the Hundred Years War led to English regaining prominence in law, education, and government. Two major waves of French vocabulary entered English, shaping formal and academic registers, while English retained Germanic roots in everyday speech and emotion. Kisch explains how spelling irregularities arose from mixed linguistic influences and printing practices. She shares the transition to Modern English by 1500, the eventual authorization of English Bible translations, and the continued French cultural and linguistic impact in literature, including Shakespeare.

Entangled Tongues: A Short History of the English Language or The Influence of French on English is an excellent read. The writing itself is naturally on point, as would be expected in a well-researched book on the history of the English language, but Kisch also makes it accessible to readers like me who are going in pretty green. I learned so much, and it is interesting that I was able to connect this to a recent visit to the UK Supreme Court library, where I saw the very first law book for England—and it was written entirely in French. It's like fate dropped this book into my lap! Carol Williams Kisch’s clear explanation of how French shaped English through political and social changes provides valuable context. I’m especially glad she highlighted Mary, Queen of Scots’s use of French, which is a detail often overlooked in contemporary media and is a point dear to my Scottish brethren who take issue with frequent depictions of her speaking with British or Scottish accents. Overall, this is a great mix of linguistic detail with historical narrative, delivered in a way that enriches understanding for those interested in the evolution of the English language.