, ▁spoke ▁Norman ▁French ▁and ▁had ▁their ▁own ▁distinct ive ▁culture . ▁For ▁many ▁years , ▁to ▁be ▁English ▁was ▁to ▁be ▁associated ▁with ▁military ▁failure ▁and ▁ser f dom . ▁During ▁the ▁tw elf th ▁century , ▁the ▁divisions ▁between ▁the ▁English ▁and ▁Norm ans ▁began ▁to ▁dissol ve ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁inter mar riage ▁and ▁coh ab itation . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁tw elf th ▁century , ▁and ▁possibly ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁ 1 1 5 0 s , ▁contemporary ▁comment ators ▁believed ▁the ▁two ▁pe op les ▁to ▁be ▁bl ending , ▁and ▁the ▁loss ▁of ▁the ▁Duch y ▁in ▁ 1 2 0 4 ▁rein for ced ▁this ▁tr end . ▁The ▁resulting ▁society ▁still ▁pri zed ▁wider ▁French ▁cultural ▁values , ▁however , ▁and ▁French ▁remained ▁the ▁language ▁of ▁the ▁court , ▁business ▁and ▁international ▁affairs , ▁even ▁if ▁Paris ians ▁mock ed ▁the ▁English ▁for ▁their ▁poor ▁pron unci ation . ▁During ▁the ▁tw elf th ▁and ▁th ir teenth ▁centuries , ▁the ▁English ▁began ▁to ▁consider ▁themselves ▁superior ▁to ▁the ▁Wel sh , ▁Sc ots ▁and ▁Bret ons . ▁The ▁English ▁perce ived ▁themselves ▁as ▁civil ised , ▁econom ically ▁prosper ous ▁and ▁properly ▁Christian , ▁while ▁the ▁C elt ic ▁fr inge ▁was ▁considered ▁lazy , ▁bar bar ous ▁and ▁back ward . ▁Following ▁the ▁invasion ▁of ▁Ireland ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁tw elf th ▁century , ▁similar ▁feelings ▁were ▁expressed ▁about ▁the ▁Irish . ▁ ▁Religion ▁ ▁E cc les