|
Ancient
Norman French continued in use in Jersey until at least the 1800's.
Although the official written language was French, Jèrriais
was spoken.
For
various reasons the use of the English language increased rapidly
in the 19th century, and by 1900 English was the dominant language
in St. Helier.
La
Société Jersiaise
La
Société Jersiaise was formed in 1873 - their resolution
was to study the history of the language and the island.
In
1908 Jèrriais was introduced into the Eisteddfod, in order
to encourage the use of the language, and in 1924 the Glossaire
du Patois Jersiais was published by La Société Jersiaise.
Decline
of Jèrriais
However
the tourist industry, the expansion of the Jersey economy and the
influence of the English residents all contributed to the anglicisation
of the island.
As
a direct consequence of this, Jèrriais was used less. In
1912, Jèrriais was replaced by English in the schools. English
was even in common use in the States of Jersey.
Jèrriais
was increasingly frowned upon as tourism and the finance industry
grew. The local accent was mocked, and the language slowly but surely
vanished.
Revival
In
1951 L'Assembliee d'Jèrriais was formed to hold meetings
and publish items in Jerriais. Since then several books have been
published on the language.
Today
the Section de la langue Jèrriaise works to promote study
of the language and its literature, and Jèrriais classes
are commonplace in primary schools.
Click below to read a sample of Jèrriais...and if you can't
understand it, don't worry, because there's an English translation
to go with it!
|
