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d in the island, and their number was increased by constant accretions throughout the rest of the eleventh century and the whole of the next. Likewise merchants and craftsmen from the continent seem to have settled in England in considerable numbers. It is quite impossible to say how many Normans and French people settled in England, but because the governing class in both church and state was almost exclusively made up from among them, their influence was out of all proportion to their number. 4.2 The influence of French upon English in the Middle English period 4.2.1 The use of French by the upper class Whatever the actual number of Normans settled in England, it is clear that the members of the new ruling class were sufficiently predominant to continue to use their own language. This was natural enough at first, as they knew no English; but they continued to do so for a long time to come, picking up some knowledge of English gradually but making no effort to do so as a matter of policy. For 200 years after the Norman Conquest, French remained the language of ordinary intercourse among the upper classes in England. The nobility chose to maintain French as the language of society, administration and commerce. [3] At first those who spoke French were those of Norman origin, but soon through intermarriage and association with the ruling class numerous people of English extraction must have found it to their advantage to learn the new language, and before long the distinction between those who spoke French and those who spoke English was not ethnic but largely social. The most important factor in the continued use of French by the English upper class until the beginning of the thirteenth century was the close connection that existed through all these years between England and the continent. The subjugated English were not killed off, nor were they driven from their country. They were relegated to the status of an inferior people, good swineherds and servants. Therefore， England became a bilingual country. The Normans belonged to a race of Scandinavian origin, but during the residence in Normandy they had given up their native language and had adopted the French dialect of that region. The Normans introduced into England a variety of the French language we call Norman-French, the other variety is Parisian French. By the end of the thirteenth century Parisian French began to enter England, and more still in the fifteenth century. A large number of French words made their appearance in the works of Chaucer and other English writers, especially in many English translations of French literary works published at that time. 4.2.2 Fusion of the two peoples and two languages In the years following the Norman Conquest the sting of defeat and the hardships incident to so great a political and social disturbance were gradually forgotten. People accepted the new order as something accomplished; they accepted it as a fact and adjusted themselves to it. The fusion of Normans and English was rapid. And the early fusion of French and English in England is quite clear from a variety of evidences. It is evident in the marriage of Normans to English women. It is evident from the way in which the English gave their support to their rulers and Norman prelates. It is evident in many other ways. Everywhere there are signs of convergence. 4.2.3 Knowledge of French among the middle class If by the end of the twelfth century the knowledge of English was not