The diffusion of English in late medieval social networks: Henry V, Robert Chicheley, London Grocers, and London Brewers

Abstract

ABSTRACT English regained its position as the preferred base language of administrative record to the detriment of Latin and French in England at the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century. Henry V has been traditionally considered as one of the main sources of the shift to vernacular official writing in other official institutions of a diverse nature. Historical sociolinguistic network research has attempted to establish a direct connection between the king’s Signet Office and the Grocers’ and the Brewers’ London livery companies, as far as their respective use of English is concerned. The article evaluates the validity of this particular case study by focussing on the underexplored micro-level of ties and social networks between individuals potentially involved in the process of innovation and early adoption of English in the different types of records. The research outcome supports the hypothesis that Robert Chicheley was the loose-knit linguistic innovator and bridge responsible for introducing the use of English into the London Grocers’ and the London Brewers’ archives, a change which subsequently percolated through the tight-knit networks of grocer-wardens and brewer-administrators in charge of keeping their companies’ records during the Late Middle Ages.