<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> This article contains IPA phonetic symbols . Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters . For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help: IPA . </Td> </Tr> <P> Anglo - Norman, also known as Anglo - Norman French, is a variety of the Norman language that was used in England and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo - Norman period . </P> <P> When William the Conqueror led the Norman conquest of England in 1066, he, his nobles, and many of his followers from Normandy, but also those from northern and western France, spoke a range of langues d'oïl (northern varieties of Gallo - Romance). One of these was Old Norman, also known as "Old Northern French". Other followers spoke varieties of the Picard language or western French . This amalgam developed into the unique insular dialect now known as Anglo - Norman French, which was commonly used for literary and eventually administrative purposes from the 12th until the 15th century . It is difficult to know much about what was actually spoken, as what is known about the dialect is restricted to what was written, but it is clear that Anglo - Norman was, to a large extent, the spoken language of the higher social strata in medieval England . </P> <P> It was spoken in the law courts, schools, and universities and, in due course, in at least some sections of the gentry and the growing bourgeoisie . Private and commercial correspondence was carried out in Anglo - Norman or Anglo - French from the 13th to the 15th century though its spelling forms were often displaced by continental spellings . Social classes other than the nobility became keen to learn French: manuscripts containing materials for instructing non-native speakers still exist, dating mostly from the late 14th century onwards . </P>

When did french stop being the official language of england