Modern usage for Jersey's tongue

Language is a funny old beast. If you're reading this you more than likely speak English - unless you're using an online translator, in which case "very much welcome are you."
In Jersey there are several languages spoken by our diverse community. Most speak English but some converse in Portuguese, others in Polish and others still in French.
Occasionally though you'll heard snippets of conversation in the islands own tongue, Jèrriais - but very rarely.
According to the 2001 Jersey Census just 2,874 of the Island's 87,186 population, or 3.3% of people living in Jersey could speak Jèrriais and two-thirds of these speakers were aged over 60.
The Census also recorded that only 113 speakers declared Jèrriais to be their usual everyday language.

Less than 3,000 people in Jersey speak Jerriais

An English to Jèrriais dictionary was released in 2008 with the hope of changing that and encouraging more people to use the language.
The dictionary was produced by L'Office du Jèrriais. The publisher says it will include old and rare words as well as a botanical reference providing Latin names as yet unpublished in previous dictionaries.
But it will also include all the words any language student usually looks up first when being given their French or German dictionary.
We can't include any of them here, this is a family site after all. But we can include some more useful words than botanical references.
To get you started we asked Jèrriais expert, Geraint Jennings to give us a few words and phrases in the islands language.
Here are a list of some of the more eye-catching (but suitable for a family audience) entries in the new dictionary, plus a couple of short example texts with translations.

Jèrriais

English

clober la clob'thie eune pèrchéthie eune boucl'ye dé bouton eune douoche un gallant scôr'ter eune bourgaille des frites micro-louêmabl'yes eune sannouich'chie la seurféthie

go clubbing clubbing piercing nipple ring girlfriend boyfriend go out with, date burger microwaveable chips sandwich shop surfing

And here is a conversation example to help you put some of the words above into context.
In Jèrriais

Would you say J'allons-t-i' clober à ces sé to a friend?

"J'allons-t-i' clober à ces sé? As-tu veu Jînmîn à ches drein?"
"Il a eune nouvelle douoche. Il est à scor'ter ch't' hardelle tchi travâle dans la sannouich'chie en Ville."
"La cheinne tch'est enann'lée? Auve les tatouéthies?"
"Véthe. Jînmîn dit qu'oulle a des pèrchéthies dé bord en autre! J'm'en vais lî texter pouor l's înviter au clobe."
"Y'a du bouon!"
In English
"Are we going clubbing this evening? Have you seen Jimmy lately?"
"He's got a new girlfriend. He's seeing that girl who works in the sandwich shop in Town."
"The one with the nose ring? With the tattoos?"
"Yes. Jimmy says she's got piercings all over! I'll text him to invite them to the club."
"Great!"
And so once you've established that you want to go out, where Jimmy is and just how pierced his girlfriend is - you'll want to know how to get a round in.
If it's your turn to order a round of drinks you could just say "Ch'est mé, l'convieux" or even just "un convieux".
So we know how to go out with our mates, we know how to order a round of drinks and we know how to discuss the tattoo's and piercing of Jimmy's new girlfriend.
But what about the less socially aware among us? How do the geeks of the island communicate in its historic tongue?

English

Jèrriais

Podcast laptop texting mobile phone to download broadband connection random play 4x4 network megabyte video Web

eune côssée d'audgo un p'tit compiuteu la textéthie un téléphone dé pouchette dêchèrgi eune connexion d'laîze la jouêthie à Dgi l'adèrt quat'-quat' drannetter eune mégabouochie un vidgo l'Ithangnie

And again as with the clubbing, lets have a quick phrase to put some of the words above into context. Here will find out what we can do with a broadband connection.
In Jèrriais
Achteu atout eune connexion d'laîze nou peut dêchèrgi un tas d'musique et d'vidgos dé sus l'Ithangnie. Y'en a tch'aiment les dgaîngues dé garçons, et d'aut's tch'aiment mus rotchi.
In English
Now with broadband you can download loads of music and videos from the Web. Some people like boy bands and others prefer to rock.
What about you?
So why not try getting a few of those words and phrases, or others from the Jèrriais to English Dictionary into your every day conversations.
I'm not sure eune boucl'ye dé bouton is going to be as easy to get into a normal conversation as scôr'ter is but it could be fun trying.
Plus - it would be a good way of confusing visitors to the island or your friends at university - time for a new trend of J'anglais slang! (from BBC)