Jèrriais - Britain's forgotten endangered language

Tch’est qu’est l’Jèrriais?

What is Jèrriais?
Jèrriais is the traditional language of Jersey, one of Britain's crown dependencies in the Channel Islands. It is closely related to French: it used to be Jersey's first language but the number of speakers has dwindled over the years as English has taken over, and the Jèrriais language is now considered to be endangered.

Just how endangered?
According to the 2001 census there were 2,874 people who spoke Jèrriais (this is around 3% of the population; although around 15% have some understanding of the language). There are about 200 children learning Jèrriais in Jersey schools and maybe up to 500 adult learners worldwide (though no official figures exist on this).

The fightback begins
In 1999 the States of Jersey supported Le Don Balleine, a trust set up for the promotion of Jersey’s language, to introduce a programme for Jèrriais to be offered in all primary schools. Two years later lessons began in secondary schools for children wishing to continue learning Jèrriais. Modern language materials have started to appear - a First 1000 words based on the Usborne classic was a success, and a verb guide has been published. However, there does not appear to be however a modern textbook for adult learners. There are also plans to introduce a Jerriais TGJ in secondary schools, the Jèrriais equivalent of GCSE (school leaving certificate).

Why learn Jèrriais ?
It is important that Jèrriais remains a living language. Throughout Europe, and indeed the UK, it is common to teach and learn through lesser-used languages, and Jersey should be no exception.

Jèrriais has a rich history and there are now literally thousands of texts online for learners and speakers to use.

Victor Hugo wrote a letter in 1864 to the Jersey poet and historian John Sullivan in which he described Jèrriais as 'cette précieuse langue locale' - 'this precious local language'.

It was very important to people who lived in Jersey during the occupation, as they could say things they didn’t want the Germans to understand.

Victor Hugo described Jèrriais as 'precious' because it is unique to Jersey and a living link to Norman French. Although related to Guernesiais and mainland Norman , Jèrriais, its literature and the knowledge it conveys are found nowhere else.

So why is Jèrriais so little known outside Jersey?
Good Question! Other minority languages in the British Isles are widely known of; most people have heard of Gaelic, Irish and Welsh, and also to a lesser extent Cornish and Manx. Very few, however, have heard of Jèrriais.

Jersey is an autonomous Crown Dependency and so does not need a seperate language as a driving force behind a political seperatist movement as has happened in Ireland or Wales.

As a minority language within the Island itself, and lacking a media outlet, it is hardly surprising that many have heard of the Jèrriais language beyond the Channel Islands.

What can be done?

Jèrriais should take advantage of new media in order to reach out to new speakers.

A modern dictionary with technical terms is required - afterall, as Gaelic experienced, you cannot ask media outlets to comment on football matches in Jèrriais if a term for 'offside' doesn't exist, or civil servants to use the language if a word doesn't exist for 'planning application'.

This appears to be slowly happening though. A new dictionary published in 2008 included such terms as microwaveable chips (des frites micro-louêmabl'yes) and nipple ring (eune boucl'ye dé bouton)!

There still appears to be no textbook for adult learners. Perhaps something RA Languages could rectify in the coming years.

In the meantime, learners can contact La Société Jersiaise who run an online bookshop with Jèrriais materials.