01355383 Varieties of English and Cultures of English Native Speakers 04 | Page 9

Because most of the French and Latin speakers died in the
plague, English was brought back to the forefront. In the
14 th century, it was declared the official language, to be used
in courts, schools, and business. English played a big part in
building the national identity, especially after the Hundred
Year War against France (1337-1453) when French was seen
as the language of the enemy. As a consequence, the
remaining Normans in England had no choice but to
Anglicise themselves in order to blend in. (Bragg, 2003)