English: the French connection

Remembering that the Normans (now part of northern France) invaded and conquered England in the 12th century illuminates much about the English language. Half of it is made up of latin words. Now that I'm learning French, odd words here and there reveals even more of the history of the Norman invasion. After the invasion, the Normans killed every English aristocrat they could find and replaced them with French lords. As such, in French, to ask is "demander", whereas in english, "demand" means to order. In French, to tell one to stop, or stick 'em up, one uses "se rendre". In English, to give up is to "surrender".