Which statement best describes Norse influence on English?

• A. It introduced the definite article.
• B. It contributed pronouns such as they/them/their and various everyday terms; it also influenced some syntactic patterns.
• C. It affected only verb conjugations.
• D. It caused loss of pronouns altogether.

Answer: (B)

Norse influence on English shows up in more than just vocabulary; it reaches pronouns and even some sentence patterns. The third-person plural pronouns they, them, and their come from Old Norse (þeir, þeim, þeirra) and were adopted into English, eventually becoming standard. In addition to these pronouns, Norse contributed a number of everyday words that entered English through long periods of contact during the Viking Age and in the Danelaw area. This blend also left traces in how sentences are put together—shared features and a tendency toward simpler inflection in bilingual contexts helped shape certain syntactic patterns. So the influence isn’t limited to verbs or a single element of language; it spans pronouns, common vocabulary, and some grammar.