A vision for the future of Jersey’s native language has been unveiled with the launch of the Jèrriais Language Strategy 2022-2025.
The Strategy has been written by the team at L’Office du Jèrriais, which is comprised of the Jèrriais Teaching Service, based at the department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills, and the Jèrriais Promotion Officer, based at Jersey Heritage.
The Strategy is centred around five themes: Language Acquisition, Language Use, Language Status, Language Corpus and Language Planning. Within each theme is contained a series of ambitious yet achievable aims that outline what the future could look like for Jèrriais. These aims include:
- increasing the number of Jèrriais speakers
- increasing the visibility and status of Jèrriais
- increasing the social and professional use of Jèrriais
- standardising Jèrriais and ensuring it develops as a living language
- centralising and coordinating efforts surrounding Jèrriais
Ben Spink, Head of the Jèrriais Teaching Service, said: “Lé Jèrriais est dans l’DNA d’Jèrri. Ch’est ieune des choses tchi donne à Jèrri un sens unnique et spécial. Et don, j’allons continnuer à travailli sans cêsse pouor garder not’ précieuse langue en vie pouor les généthâtions à v’nîn et chutte stratégie nos montre lé c’mîn qué j’prendrons en l’faisant.”
(Jèrriais is in the DNA of Jersey. It is one of things that makes our Island a unique and special place to live. As such, we will continue to work tirelessly to safeguard our precious language for future generations and this strategy sets out the path we will take in so doing.)
Assistant Minister with responsibility for Culture, Deputy Kirsten Morel, said: “Jèrriais is a vital part of our culture and will have an increasingly important role to play as a key component of our Island identity. This significant strategy demonstrates that the Government of Jersey is committed to supporting the revitalisation of Jèrriais in the long term.”
Geraint Jennings, Jèrriais Promotion Officer at Jersey Heritage, said: “La stratégie dait m’ner à eune pus grande visibilité du Jèrriais, l’usage êlaîsi dans la pratique, et un respé renforchi pouor la langue dans l’s actions dé touos les jours du Gouvèrnément, d’l’Assembliée d’s Êtats, d’s êcoles et d’aut’ înstitutions, d’s organnîsâtions finnancées par l’publyi, épis v’là tch’encouothag’gea l’Jèrriais dans les conmèrces, dans les c’meunautés, et dans les tchoeurs et les bouoches des généthâtions à v’nîn.”
(The strategy must lead to a greater visibility of Jèrriais, expanded usage in practice, and strengthened status for the language in the everyday actions of the Government, of the States Assembly, of schools and other institutions, of publicly financed bodies, and that is what will encourage Jèrriais in businesses, in communities, and in the hearts and mouths of generations to come.)
