How can we make standard English and Northumbrian as different from each other as French and Occitan within a united England? Have them be as different through divergence by at least the reformation.
The only way I can think of is not to have the Wessex dynasty conquer the East Midlands (the Five Boroughs) and Northumbria. Thus letting the languages diverge without a common "language of power" being imposed by a single court. That would also keep Lallands as a Scottish language.How can we make standard English and Northumbrian as different from each other as French and Occitan within a united England? Have them be as different through divergence by at least the reformation.
I'm pretty certain that it was at least as far as peasants are concerned. Even today try to understand any of the Northern dialects if spoken at normal speed (Broad Yorkshire and Geordie both spring to mind). It was hard enough for a mere northerner to understand the Bristol dialect in the late 70s.
Broad Yorkshire isn't that difficult to understand for a southerner. I'd not been exposed at all when I went to university in Yorkshire and I could get 95% of what people were saying.
Geordie is a different matter altogether.
Anyway, to get this you just want the Vikings to stay in control of the Danelaw longer.