Here's a breakdown of their influence:
Old Norse:
* Vocabulary: The Vikings brought a wealth of new words to English, particularly related to seafaring, law, warfare, and government. Examples include "berserk," "skull," "knife," "leg," "anger," and "husband."
* Grammar: Old Norse influenced English grammar, especially in the use of pronouns like "they" and "them," and the development of the possessive "s" (e.g., "the king's crown").
French:
* Vocabulary: The Norman Conquest of 1066 led to a massive influx of French words into English. This includes words related to government, law, religion, art, literature, food, and fashion. Examples include "government," "justice," "church," "beauty," "literature," "table," and "fashion."
* Grammar: French influenced English grammar by introducing new grammatical structures and sentence patterns. For example, the use of "do" in questions (e.g., "Do you like apples?") originated in French.
In summary: Old Norse provided a layer of basic vocabulary and some grammatical changes, while French heavily enriched the English lexicon and influenced its grammatical structure.
While other languages like Latin and Greek also influenced English, Old Norse and French had the most significant and direct impacts on its development.