Friday 27 August 2010

La Section de la langue Jèrriaise

Salutâtions tout l’monde. Auprès mé, lé d’luge… tchi temps! Thank you to those who attended last month’s meeting despite it being a holiday month.

Our reviews continue slowly and it is a pleasure to report the gift of a beautiful book from Collette Quinn which can serve as an example for us.

It is a beautifully written and illustrated book with prose and poetry which includes chapters in French, Norman and English on all sorts of personal observations about life in La Manche in ‘temps passé’ or ‘d’âotefeis’.

It is entitled ‘Moi Denise, fière villageoise de la Manche d’âotefeis’ by Denise Véron-Hambye who has sent us her poems in Norman and contacted us several times since she learnt that Jèrriais existed and was still spoken here. Copies cost 25€, which is c. £20 at today’s rate, but well worth it for 311 pages of the language and history of everyday life in an area adjacent to Jersey…. well indexed and with a lexicon of 83 pages of Norman spoken around St. Denis-le-Gast and the surrounding area.

Another communication came from a researcher, Anna Ciecko at the Sorbonne, who wants to research the use and changes in Jèrriais over the years and compare them with Norman. Needless to say we will help both authors in everyway we can.

The incorrect pronunciations continue and accents are omitted left, right and centre….so no progress there!

Our next meeting will be on Wed next, 1st. Sept. in the AM Room to continue our literature classification and try our hand at more composition.

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