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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.
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