Henry of Lancaster and Geoffrey Chaucer: Anglo-French and Middle English in Fourteenth-Century England

W. Rothwell
The Modern Language Review, vol. 99, no. 2 (Apr 2004), p.313-327

"French played a major role in the lives of both Lancaster and Chaucer, at once linking and separating them."

"In all the literate sections of the community French played a major role, being used right down to the level of personal communications among native English speakers."

From French Middle English received Bastard, bawd, bugger, coward, glutton, harlot, lecher, traitor, and vile.