Jèrriais (a dialect of Norman French) speaker in Jersey, interviewed in French
37.9 هزار بار بازدید -
5 سال پیش
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When I visited Jersey, in
When I visited Jersey, in the Channel Islands ( les îles anglo-normandes), I was keen to learn more about the language of my ancestors, Jèrriais ( a dialect of Norman French). I was chatting in English with distant cousin, Rozelle, and when she said she could speak Jèrriais I suggested: "Let's try something experimental.. Could I interview you in French and you could reply in Jèrriais? " We agreed it would be fascinating to see how much we understood of each other. I certainly didn't understand absolutely everything Rozelle said but it was reassuring to realise I got the gist of what she was saying. One day I will transcribe in French what she actually says.
She recalls how life was in Jersey when she was a young girl, how she went to school, what she did after the war and speaking Jèrriais these days with older friends.
It makes sense that a French speaker can essentially understand Jèrriais, as it was Norman French people from around the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, France who settled in Jersey nearly a thousand years ago. My ancestors would have spoken Norman French which morphed into this dialect of French for about 600 years. Just as all languages, dialects and accents evolve over the years that is exactly what has happened on this island between England and France. Isolated from mainland France, subject to a different lifestyle, I wonder if this 'French' is how it might have been spoken in rural northern France in the past. The use of the word 'septante' instead of 'soixante-dix' also occurs in French Canada. These words hark back to the France of yesteryear. Apparently the French spoken in the Gaspé area of Canada has many similarities with Jèrriais. This is of course because many Jersey families settled in the Eastern part of Canada in the 1800s.
Would love to know if French speakers can fully understand this clip? How similar is Jersey French to dialects of Norman French currently spoken in Normandy? It was interesting to note the use of words like 'diversement' and 'septante'. This conversation is unrehearsed and very natural but it is a good example of conversational Jèrriais.
She recalls how life was in Jersey when she was a young girl, how she went to school, what she did after the war and speaking Jèrriais these days with older friends.
It makes sense that a French speaker can essentially understand Jèrriais, as it was Norman French people from around the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, France who settled in Jersey nearly a thousand years ago. My ancestors would have spoken Norman French which morphed into this dialect of French for about 600 years. Just as all languages, dialects and accents evolve over the years that is exactly what has happened on this island between England and France. Isolated from mainland France, subject to a different lifestyle, I wonder if this 'French' is how it might have been spoken in rural northern France in the past. The use of the word 'septante' instead of 'soixante-dix' also occurs in French Canada. These words hark back to the France of yesteryear. Apparently the French spoken in the Gaspé area of Canada has many similarities with Jèrriais. This is of course because many Jersey families settled in the Eastern part of Canada in the 1800s.
Would love to know if French speakers can fully understand this clip? How similar is Jersey French to dialects of Norman French currently spoken in Normandy? It was interesting to note the use of words like 'diversement' and 'septante'. This conversation is unrehearsed and very natural but it is a good example of conversational Jèrriais.
5 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1398/08/27 منتشر شده
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