L'Année Bissextile - Leap Year

"L'Année Bissextile" par Livonia:
Another Leap Year poem by Livonia - this one from 1909:

A Leap Year Proposal

Eune poésie par GW de Carteret pouor l'Année Bissextile:

A Leap Year Proposal

Ch'te année, comme ou savez, est une année bissextile,
Eh bain, dans l'mais d'Janvi, à not'e réunion annuelle,
La Présidente d'not'e "Club" nos dit "Ch'n'est pas tout ch'la mes filles,
J'allons prendre avantage d'une couôtume universelle,
Et dêmontrer qu'j'avons l'couothage de faithe valer nos drouaits.
Sans doute, ou n'os'sez pas l'admettre mais j'voudrais bain pathier
Qu'i' y a parmi touos vos amins tchique jeune homme qui vos pliaît;
Eh bain, v'chin l'occasion! Ch'est d'li d'mander d'vos mathier!"

L'Année Bissextile - Leap year

Eune vielle poésie pouor l'Année Bissextile:
An old poem for Leap Year:

I' y'a trente jours en Septembre - Thirty Days hath September

I' y'a trente jours en Septembre,
En Avri, Juîn et Novembre.
Les aut's mais sont fanmeux pour
Lus trente' tch'ieunième jour,
Mais l'pouôrre Févri
N'en a qu'vîngt-huit,
Et un vîngt-neuvième pouor les fil'yes
Pouor s'engagi ès années bissextiles!

année bissextile = leap year

Les mains - Hands

• main = hand
• eune pouongnie d'main = a handshake
• châtchi d'main = to shake hands
• eune pouongnie d'or = a golden handshake
• d'amain = handy
• à dêmain = distant, far off, out of reach
• à gaumain = clumsily
• souos la main = close at hand
• en un tou d'main = in a jiffy
• aver l'tchoeu sus la main = be generous
• main souos main = from hand to hand
• à la main = by hand
• dé s'gonde main = second hand
• un co d'main = a helping hand

Du Cornouaillais pouor la Saint Pithan - Use Cornish for Pirantide

MAGA suggéthe:

Use Cornish for Pirantide

Pirantide is fast approaching and this year MAGA is encouraging everyone, Cornish speaker or not, to use a phrase or two of Cornish on St Piran’s Day. Why not greet everyone you meet in Cornish first on St Piran’s Day? A simple ‘Gool Peran Lowen’ or ‘Dydh da’ – or perhaps just ‘Mar pleg’ or ‘Meur ras’ in a shop.

Pouortchi pon faithe sèrvi du Jèrriais pouor lé Jour d'la Libéthâtion - ou touos les jours!

Fliottes

This week on BBC Jersey, we explained a Jersey dish, traditionally made on Good Friday : fliottes

• flieu = flour
• lait = milk
• chucre = sugar
• sé = salt
• tchul'lée = spoonful
• oeu = egg
• beurre = butter
• muscade = nutmeg
• farce = batter
• dêmêler = to mix
• ajouôter = to add
• mett' = to put
• tchuithe = to cook
• bouoilli = to boil
• laîssi = to leave
• caud = hot, warm

Vidgo:

Dictionary addenda

• abuter = come to an end, finish
• hale-patte = flip (of egg and cider presumably, but a different (lost?) recipe from chaûdé)

(in "Ma Tante Esthé", 1871?)

• porchîn = porcine, pertaining to pigs

(1849)

Un portrait rouoya - A royal picture

Acouo un bieau portrait pouor lé Jubilé grée par un mousse dans eune clâsse du Jèrriais. André Gonçalves a fait chennechîn:

"Un p'tit mio du haut, s'i' vos pliaît"

Fanne - Fun

In a post at the Languagehat blog there is discussion of an apparently anachronistic use of the English word fun in the film "The Artist". So, that got us thinking: when did the word "fanne" enter Jèrriais - it's a long established borrowing from English. The Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français suggests that it became established from the mid-C19th.

A quick bit of corpus searching on the Pages Jèrriaises throws up an attestation of the word fanne in the meaning of fun in "Dialogue entre Jeanneton et Nainai, des Paraisses de Ste.-Marie et St.-Ouen, le 2 Octobre 1811" (published in the almanac of Le Constitutionnel for 1838, but among texts stated to have been written many years before).

Language policy and Manx National Heritage

Adrian Cain a vidgi:

In this video I discuss MNH's attitude towards Manx Gaelic with Edmund Southworth, the Director of Manx National Heritage.

"We make sure that our front of house teams welcome people in Manx. The first words people should hear when they arrive at one of our sites should be in Manx. And I think that's a respect for the heritage, respect for the traditions of the people whose stories we're telling... and that's very important"

"This is a formal Manx event - therefore we greet people in Manx. I don't have a problem with that. They may be the only words of the evening, but it's the recognition and the respect..."

Festival des Gallèseries à Saint Malo

Le centre culturel breton de Saint-Malo et la maison internationale des poètes et des écrivains organisent la 20ème édition du festival des Gallèseries qui se déroulera du 1er au 4 mars 2012 à Saint-Malo.

Au programme de ce festival de la culture et de la langue de Haute-Bretagne : du théatre, des jeux traditionnels, des contes, de la danse, de la musique et du chant.

À la sinnette dé jeu - When morning gilds the skies

Portrait par Angus MacRae
 siez Flickr

À la sinnette dé jeu,
né v'chîn lé chant d'man tchoeu:
Qué Jésû sait louangi!
En priéthe, en travas,
Jésû est mén appias:
Qué Jésû sait louangi!

Quand l'solé c'menche à lithe,
il est mêtchi d'èrdithe:
Qué Jésû sait louangi!
Et dé chinner auve jouaie
en chantant dé bouonne vouaix:
Qué Jésû sait louangi!

Quand la vouaix du cliochi
sonne ès vaux et côtis:
Qué Jésû sait louangi!
Êcoutez don les clioches
et lus sonn'nie si douoche:
Qué Jésû sait louangi!

Des pais au fou

JERSEY BEAN CROCK, un portrait par hazelisles siez Flickr.

Des pais au fou - bean crock

"Whit needs tae be duin tae gie Scots its richtfu place in Scottish education"

Lé Scots Language Centre rapporte un discours au Scots Language Society Annual Collogue d'l'année pâssée entouor lé Scots dans l'ensîngn'gnie:

Yet, while CfE spells oot the important role o Scottish culture in the curriculum, it doesnae say how we can mak shair this’ll happen. The SNP’s plans for Scottish Studies is a braw idea if it’s a core element at every level richt across the curric, wi qualifications at every level, but if it’s only an optional unit in saicondary, it will be fechtin for a place in a gey crowded curriculum, a minority subject left tae enthusiastic individuals, jist as it has aye been, an willnae mak muckle difference.

Ane simple wey o makkin siccar that aw schuils tak this duty seriously is via a mandatory element in courses an exams, as we hae in Higher History and Drama, but these are baith minority subjects, efter S.2 or even earlier. Shairly it is noo ayond debate that we need a compulsory core o Scottish literature an language at every level in the SQA English exams, the only subject taen by aw pupils (+ a compulsory core in aw Social subjects). This wid jist bring Scotland intae line wi whit maist ither countries in the world hae lang taen for granted, somethin the Association for Scottish Literary Studies (ASLS) has buin advocatin for mony a lang year.

Cantiques - Hymns

Né v'chîn eune liste dé cantiques tch'ont 'té translatés en Jèrriais (auve les lians ès vèrsions Jèrriaises):
Here, for convenience, is a list of titles of translated hymns of which Jèrriais versions are available (links lead to Jèrriais lyrics at Les Pages Jèrriaises):

Des langues et des noes - Titbits

fliantchi d'côté coumme un gliot = thrown aside like thatch for a haystack cover

Colloque: Les français régionaux dans l’espace francophone

Eune conféthence les 14-15 dé Mar 2012 auve eune contribution d'Thierry Bulot entouor l'Nouormand:

Les français régionaux dans l’espace francophone.
Quel statut linguistique, quelle place dans les politiques éducatives dans un contexte mondialisé au cœur de tensions géopolitiques et économiques?

Colloque des 14 et 15 mars 2012
Ce colloque est soutenu par la Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France.
Lieu : Maison de la Nouvelle Calédonie, 4bis, rue de Ventadour, 75 001 Paris.
Pour toute information, contactez Marie-Madeleine Bertucci, marie-madeleine.bertucci@wanadoo.fr ou marie-madeleine.bertucci@u-cergy.fr

Thierry Bulot
Université Rennes 2

Langue régionale et minoration sociolinguistique : l'approche glottonomique de la langue normande

Prèchi d'cheu nous!

Prèchi d'cheu nous ! Émission sur la toponymie, les expressions normandes, le vocabulaire normand avec les passerelles entre le normand, le norrois, le scandinave, le français et l'anglais.

Émission réalisée en collaboration avec l'association de La Chouque, œuvrant pour la mise en valeur du patrimoine normand.

Dictionary addenda

• eune folle-mauve = a fulmar
• eune folle-mauve du Nord = a Northern fulmar, an Arctic fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)
• eune folle-mauve du Sud = a Southern fulmar, an Antarctic fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides)

1957 - Ph'lip et les crêpes

Ph'lip et les crêpes
Merrienne pose une tchestchon

Mousieu l'Editeu,

J'tiomes à dêjeuné hier matin quand la Merrienne, prenant une autre beûrrée, dit comme chonna: "As-tu pensé, Ph'lip, qué Mardi tchi veint est Mardi Gras, le jour que nou mange des crêpes?"

"Ma fé, Merrienne," j'l'y dit, "ch'est vrai, mais tout chu temps l'fermyi est si gêné tch'y n'a pas l'temps d'pensé à autchune chose de la sorte. As-tu réfliéchi, par exemplye, que nos v'là à la fin d'Févri, et que j'n'ai pas ocquo une patate en têrre? Considèthe-tu qui si la mucreu continue y'a des milles vrégies dans toutes les parties d'l'île tchi sont ocquo prèsque souos l'iau? Est-che le moment pour me pâslé d'crêpes, j'te d'mande?"

La Merrienne se l'vit pour cliérgi la tablye: "Oh bein, si ch'est d'même," ou dit, "j'n'en f'thait pas, mais y n'faut pas oublié que chu jour-là nou n'mange pas d'viande. Sans doute un oeu fricashi avec un mio d'caboche, pouorra faithe."

"Arrête, Merrienne," j'l'y dit. "Tu sais bein qu'j'aime les crêpes, et y n'faut pas m'prendre trop sérieusement.

Les Crêpes Jèrriaises

Nou fait des crêpes Jèrriaises lé Mardi Gras - né v'chîn l'èrchette.
Shrove Tuesday's for making Jersey pancakes - here's the recipe.

Et né v'chîn l'vocabulaithe:
And here's the vocabulary:

• flieu = flour
• oeux = eggs
• chucre = sugar
• corînthes = currants
• lait = milk
• sé = salt
• tchul'lée = spoonful
• pînchie = pinch
• câssetrole = frying pan
• caûffer = to heat
• tchuithe = to cook

Nou tuite - Tweeting

Jerriais, t dialect van t Britse eiland Jersey, klinkt als Frans met n Engels accent. Luister naar Alice in Wonderland: goo.gl/jkMby

— Gaston Dorren (@taaljournalist) February 20, 2012

Normandie Folk-Rock

Normandie Folk-Rock annonche:

KILKASH : musiciens normands pour musique d'Irlande...

• 16 Mars SARTILLY Centre culturel
• 17 Mars La Luciole à Alençon

LA LOURE + STRAND HUGG

• le 3 Mars veillée en chansons normandes entre autres...à Hambye Salle des fêtes

LA LOURE

• 29 Mars conférence chantée à Paris : Médiathèque Musicale
• 2 Mars 2012 : Soirée cauchoise avec danses et musique, 76640 HATTENVILLE

LES MARINS DU COTENTIN

• 9 Mars 2012 à 20h30 : QUETTEHOU Halle aux grains - avec Thé Citron en 1ère partie
• 17 Mars 2012 à 20h30 : BRICQUEBEC au profit de coeur et cancer

MAGENE

• 3 Mars Amfreville centre social rural 20 h 30
• 25 Mars Biscuiterie de Ste Mère Eglise (gratuit -15 heures)

• 4 MARS BAL FOLK à FLIQUEFLEUR, 27210 Eure

Jean-Thomas Dujardin

Qui sait béni! chan fais, le chain qui voti pour
Le savant Dujardin!
Comme un chour il a cru et y resteza chour
Angniet, demain, sans fin!!!

L'Anmin Flippe

Les Amis du Donjon

Magène rapporte:

Les Amis du Donjon viennent de publier un hors-série tout en normand, le n° 7, (récits, histoires, contes, poèmes variés), avec 22 photos étonnantes de Goubelins des haies qui crient "Ayiz pityi ! Copaez brin les haies !". Mairie 50260 Bricquebec. 12 €, port offert.

Dictionary addenda

seurvais et sauv'tage = search and rescue

Walloon language stays alive in Northeastern Wisconsin

Green Bay Press-Gazette (Wisconsin) rapporte:

Walloons chose to make southern Door, Kewaunee and Brown counties their home when they arrived from Belgium 150 years ago. The settlers clung to their language and heritage while carving out a new home in America. (...) The Hayots and other families who speak Walloon (mostly to one another) represent a lively subculture of Door and Kewaunee counties. Those who now live in Belgium look to the conclave of Belgian immigrants who retained the culture in America, to trace their own heritage.

Dauns ma leunette à mireus

Magène annonche:

Magène va publier 35 chroniques de "Guy du Hammé de Hâot" (Guy Pichon), bilingue, un beau livre avec illustrations couleur doubles-pages, 256 pages grand format. Des chroniques sur des sujets très variés : Men hammé, Ma famile, Viages en Amérique (New-York, Obama,...), l'actualité en France (élections, remembrement du bocage, destruction du presbytère de Grosville,...). Un vocabulaire riche au service d'une observation tendre ou critique de notre société... L'humour des Normands toujours présent ajoute au plaisir de lire ces textes de qualité.

Manx Radio's support for Manx Gaelic

Adrian Cain a vidgi ch't' entréveue entouor lé Manx sus l'radio:

Adrian Cain, Manx Language Officer, for the Manx Heritage Foundation talks to Mark Tyley from Manx Radio about the importance of the language to the Station's identity.

Des langues et des noes - Titbits

Des neuches et pon d'pain, la maîson à feu et pon dg'ieau dans l'pits! - A pretty pickle, a fine mess (a wedding with no bread, the house on fire with no water in the well)

Numbers in Jèrriais

Here's a basic explanation of numbers we've put together this week:

Numbers in Jèrriais can be a little tricky if you're not used to them because different forms are used in different contexts (and there's also some difference in pronunciation in different dialects, and some alternative versions just to add to the richness and variety of numbers).

Cabaret galo a Romilhae

Bertaèyn Galeizz annonche:

Afin de faire entendre et réentendre le gallo à Romillé (35) l'association Amparo (AMis du PAtrimoine de ROmillé) et Bertaèyn Galeizz donnent rendez-vous le dimanche 26 février à 15h à la maison des associations de la commune pour un après-midi de divertissement. Au programme conte, théâtre et chant en gallo avec la fameuse troupe Tradior et le duo Damour-Bazillon.

Dictionary addenda

• du gengivre en cliouque = section of ginger root
• un cliou d'gengivre = section of ginger root

"The Welsh language is too precious to be allowed to disappear "

Jude Rogers êcrit aniet dans l'Independent entouor l'Gallouais:
An article about the Welsh language in today's Independent:

...it's easy to think the language will always be there. You forget that things can collapse without care, that walls can tumble down. Dwelling in the nostalgia of a language, or its romantic rhythms, is all too easy. Being active is difficult, but active we must be – to make sure our languages roll, lilt and rasp, forever, am byth.

Des langues et des noes - Titbits

Tchi s'paûque! = Let him stew in his own juice!

Festival des peuples minoritaires

À matîn nou nos contactit entouor un projet pouor eune fête, lé Festival des peuples minoritaires 2012. Né v'chîn un vidgo entouor chu fête d'l'année pâssée:
We were contacted this morning to provide some information for a project connected with a lesser used language festival in La Vallée d'Aoste in 2012. Here's a video about last year's edition of the festival:

Du Jèrriais siez BBC Jèrri

Here is a list of the phrases we covered in this week's little Jèrriais lesson on BBC Jersey (Monday after 6pm).

• Tch'est qu'ch'est? = What is it?
• chennechîn = this (this here)
• Tch'est qu'est chennechîn? = What's this (here)?
• chenna = that (there)
• Tch'est qu'est chenna? = What's that?
• ch'est eune pînte dé biéthe = it's a pint of beer
• Té pliaît-i' béthe eune fais? = Would you like a drink?

Tchoeu - Heart

• lé tchoeu = the heart
• man tchoeu = my darling
• aver à tchoeu = take to heart
• aver mal au tchoeu = be downhearted
• aver l'tchoeu mo = be fed up
• dé tout san tchoeu = wholeheartedly

Bouonne Saint Valentîn!

Ma Valentinne

Ma Valentinne

Ma chiéthe garce, veurs-tu, di-mé, j't'en prie,
A mé t'consacrer pouor toute ta vie?

Veurs-tu, di, bailli tout tan p'tit tchoeu
Au chein tchi pouor té risquéthait l'feu, -
Lî bailli sans rêsèrve, sans partage,
Et, pus tard, t'mett' auve li à mênage?.....
Né m'rêponds pas. Nânnîn; car, tu sai,
Tu mé f'thais bétôt d'chagrîn créver.
I' n'y'a pas d'aut' fil'ye tchi comme té m'pliaîthe:
N'èrfûse pon, ma chiéthe, de m'mett' à m'n aîthe.
Néné, veins un jour faithe ma tchuîsinne;
Et pouor achteu sai MA VALENTINNE.

W.

Redadeg 2012

Nou pouôrrait-i' couôrre un té but pouor la langue Jèrriaise?
Fancy running that far for Jèrriais!

Diwar ar ganaouenn savet ha kanet gant Dom Duff “Foeter Breizh”ez eus bet sevenet gant Mikael Baudu hag e gevredigezh produiñ Gwengolo Filmoù, ur c'hlip da gas war-raok ar Redadeg evit hol lakaat dija e-barzh ton Redadeg 2012.

Le Jèrriais pour Tous - Index

Quand Le Don Balleine publyit "Lé Jèrriais Pour Tous" par Paul Birt, i' mantchait d'îndex. N'ev'chîn don l'îndex du cont'nu du livre dé grammaithe.

The Jèrriais grammar composed by Dr Paul Birt was published without an index. To make up for the lack, here is an index compiled by L'Office du Jèrriais

Dictionary addenda

véthot à véthues = warthog

George d'La Forge vîsitit l'Afrique en 1968. Ses împressions fûtent publiées sus la Gâzette du Sé les 18/10/1968, 24/10/1968, 31/10/1968, et 13/11/1968. Il êcrivit chennechîn l'26/10/1968 à Nairobi:

"Un autre annima tchi pathaît drôle est un couochon sauvage appelé "Warthog" en Angliais. J'n'ai pon peu dêcouvri tch'est qu'nou l'appelle en Français.

Tch'est qu'ch'est? - What is it?

Tch'est qu'est l'nom dé ch't annima-chîn?

Increasing signage in Manx in Port St Mary

Un rapport entouor l's êcritchieaux en Manx à Port Sainte Mathie - MBDF à Adrian pouor l'vidgo!

In this video Adrian Cain, the Manx Language Development Officer, for the Manx Heritage Foundation, talks to Jason Roberts, Clerk to Port St Mary Commissioners about proposals to increase the amount of visible signage in Manx around the port

La Rouoyale et l'Jubilé - The Jersey Royal and the Jubilee

Né v'chîn acouo des portraits jubilaithes des mousses - chutte fais sus l'thème d'la Rouoyale:
More Jubilee pictures from Jèrriais classes in schools - this time with Jersey Royal potatoes:

"La Reine mange la Rouoyale" Jessica Parry

Des langues et des noes - Titbits

s'vînclyi coumme eune tchilieuvre = to weave one's way like a snake

Des portraits rouoyaux - Royal pictures

Les mousses dans les clâsses du Jèrriais ont grée des bieaux portraits pouor lé Jubilé. N'en v'chîn eune galenie d'la gal'lie:
Here's a handful of Jubilee pictures fit for a Queen from Jèrriais classes in schools:

Alicia du Hieaume

Souaixante ans glorieurs! - Sixty glorious years!

Ch'est l'annivèrsaithe dé l'accession aniet: y'a souaixante ans la Reine not' Duc avînt au trône. Dgieu sauve la Reine!
It's the anniversary of the accession today. Sixty years ago the Queen our Duke acceded to the throne.

La Reine en jaune

Les ouaîsieaux lé disent, et l's annimaux,
Les tchians tchi ouassent, les cats tchi miaûnent,
Les mauves tchi piaillent, les souothis et les j'vaux.
I' disent: né v'là la Reine en jaune.

Un vièr vait-goutte éthait peu l'èrmèrtchi,
Ou même eune taupe, ou un j'va bône.
Faut-i' des longues-veues ou vèrres tchi
F'thaient appréchi la Reine en jaune?

Des baînis et des fliées - Limpets

Last week's Donkey Dialogue demonstrated a difference in marine life vocabulary between Jèrriais and Dgernésiais:

Sh’est acataï atou d z-écâles d’fllies. (listen to mp3)
To buy with limpet shells. (Said of someone who is short of money who makes a purchase)

The usual word for limpet in Jèrriais is baîni. The Saint Pièrrais are nicknamed les Ventres à Baînis (limpet-bellies), for example, and a limpet shell is eune êcale dé baîni.

However, we do also have the cognate fliée for limpet - although the Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français notes that by 1957 the usage of this word was very rare and confined to Saint Ouen. Still, the word lives on in the verb fliêter - to remove limpets from rock. And for that purpose one uses a tool called un fliêteux or un baînitcheux. To go limpet gathering, on the other hand, is baînitchi, and a limpet-gatherer is un baînitcheux (if masculine, and presumably, if feminine - eune baîniqu'rêsse). A large limpet is un êcaillard - those aren't fliêtés from their rocks because they're supposedly not good for eating.

Cultural possibility

Will Hutton cite Michael Hofmann dans l'Observer aniet:

To speak a single language, he argues, is to be enclosed in one cultural possibility – to be preordained to live in the linguistic and cultural cage into which you are born. "If you don't have another language, you are condemned to occupy the same positions, the same phrases all your life," he wrote. "It's harder to outwit yourself, harder to doubt yourself in just one language. It's harder to play." To acquire another language is to open yourself up to the world and to increase vastly your employability.

Abouon d'a b c - Quite a lot of letters

Tchiques patholes Jèrriaises pouor châque lettre dé l'a b c:
A series of useful and interesting vocabulary for every letter of the alphabet:

• tchian = dog
• ticl'ye = kettle
• tchaie = fall
• titchet = ticket
• tchêne = oak
• tch'est qu'est...? = what is...?
• tréjous = always
• tou = tower
• tchoeu = heart, choir, chorus

Jean Picot

Jean Picot fut né aniet en 1846.
Jean Picot, who signed his poems JP, was born on this day in 1846.

Lé temps

(...)
L'aut' sémaine, un jour qu'il amouoch'lait du pité,
Un vaîsin, tout bouann'ment, lî dit en pâssant:
"Bonjour, Maît' Charles, ch'est qu'i' n'y fait pas bé...
Dites-mé, en v'là-t-i' don du tristre temps!"

L's aventuthes d'Alice en Êmèrvil'lie - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Evertype annonche:

Evertype announces the publication of the first Jèrriais translation of L’s Aventuthes d’Alice en Êmèrvil’lie.

L’s Aventuthes d’Alice en Êmèrvil’lie by Lewis Carroll, translated into Jèrriais by Geraint Jennings. First edition, 2011. Illustrations by John Tenniel. Cathair na Mart: Evertype. ISBN 978-1-904808-82-4 (paperback), price: €12.95, £9.95, $15.95.

Order this book from amazon.co.uk!

Cabbages ten feet high and other tall tales

This article in Punch magazine seems not to have been left unmined by a feature writer for a New Zealand newspaper, the Clutha Leader. In the 11 August 1893 issue we read, inter alia:

The Channel Islands — Jersey, Sark, Guernsey, and Aldernay — are the only portion of the old Duchy of Normandy which now remain to the British Crown. They have a Government of their own, and the old feudal system still remains to a certain small extent ; but they are under the British protectorate, with a Governor. It is essentially an English place, and most of the people speak English, although a few speak French, and some a sort of gibberish between the two.

(...)

The guides who accompany the coaches are very ready-witted and amusing. If you pass a dark sheep, they will tell you it is not black, only a little sun burnt! The French coast is quite close within sight, so they say : 'There is a fine breeze blowing to-day, so it affords a fine opportunity for those who have not already acquired the French accent to do so now ; all you have to do is to open your mouths and breathe it in.' And when he is met with an incredulous laugh, he always says : ' All right ; if you don't believe me, ask the driver,' and of course the driver confirms what he says ! We passed some tall cabbages. 'Those cabbages frequently attain a height of 20ft— (oh! oh!)— well, if you don't believe me, ask the driver.' 'Quite true,' says the driver — 'if you measure up one side and down the other, etc' There are also a great many schools and ladies' colleges on the island. French is supposed to be particularly well taught at the schools but whether they are taught it by their masters or acquire it from the breeze blowing from the French coast, of course I wouldn't presume to say. They have a militia on the island, and every citizen has to put in a certain number of drills every year for 10 years. There is plenty of granite — not unlike Aberdeen granite — and one or two churches, several hundreds of years old, which had been built with it, seemed as if thev would last many hundred years more. So the guide, who has a banjo with him, sings a song which he calls the Jersey National Song, the chorus of which runs as follows : —

There the streets are paved with granite
So neat and clean,
And lots of pretty, witty girls are always
To be seen;
With the brave old militia.
Our foes to defy.
And there they grow the cabbages
Ten feet high!
There they grow the cabbages 10ft high.

11th Great Garden Bird Watch

La Gâzette du Sé annonche:

The 11th Great Garden Bird Watch takes place this weekend, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 February.

Pouor dé nous, un êtchutheu est un drôlé d'ouaîsé, mais né v'chîn la liste des criatuthes en Jèrriais:
Here are Jèrriais names of species to be on the lookout for:

• Rouoge-gorge = Robin
• Mêle = Blackbird
• Grive = Song thrush
• Gros-bé = House sparrow
• Bliu-bonnet = Great tit
• Bliûtinne = Blue tit
• Vèrmîngnon = Greenfinch
• Pînchon = Chaffinch
• Êtourné = Starling
• D'mié-pigeon = Collared dove
• Pigeon sauvage = Woodpigeon
• Pie = Magpie
• Corbîn = Crow
• Mauve = Herring gull
• Raîté = Wren
• Pique-en-bouais = Great spotted woodpecker
• Craûlant-tchu = Pied wagtail
• Geai = Jay
• P'tit-bé = Dunnock
• Soucique = Long-tailed tit
• Êtchutheu = Red squirrel

• Les Noms d'Ouaîsieaux en Jèrriais
  

Dictionary addenda

• eune teunette à ouothelles = a cap with earflaps
• eune castchette à ouothelles = a cap with earflaps
• un casseton = a cap

L'Île dé Jèrri - The Island of Jersey

"Green the Guide (A Sketch on a "Royal Blue" Car at Jersey)" fut publié dans l'magâsîn Punch du 15 d'Octobre 1892. Et l'articl'ye contcheint un but d'la chanson "The Island of Jersey" dé tchi j'avons deux vèrsions Jèrriaises.

An issue of Punch magazine from 1892 contains an account of an Island tour, including a snatch of the song "The Island of Jersey" which was used to entertain tourists and drum up business for the charabanc tours. We have two versions of this song in Jèrriais.

G[reen]. the G[uide]. The soil of Jersey is remarkably productive; if you plant a sixpence, it will come up a shilling in no time. The cabbages on this island grow to an extraordinary height, frequently attaining twenty feet—(outcry)—yes, if you measure up one side, and down the other. (They pass a couple of sheep on a slope.) The finest flock of sheep in the island. The dark one is not black, only a little sunburnt. The house you see on that hill over there was formerly slept in by CHARLES THE SECOND. He left a pair of slippers behind him—which have since grown into top-boots. There you see the only windmill in this part of the island—there used to be three, but it was found there was not enough wind for them all. From here you have a clear view of the coast of France; and, when the wind is blowing in this direction, you have an excellent opportunity of acquiring the French accent in all its purity. (This string of somewhat hoary chestnuts meets with a success beyond their intrinsic merits, the Morose Man being as much entertained as anybody.)
(...)
Many thanks. Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of myself and the Coachman, and to express my sense of your generosity, I will sing you the great Jersey National Song, composed by myself, before leaving. (He sings a ditty with the following spirited Chorus):—
There the streets are paved with granite. So neat and clean
And lots of pretty, witty girls, are always to be seen!
With the brave old Mi-litia, Our foes to defy!
And there they grow the Cabba-ges—Ten feet high!
(All together, Gentlemen, please!) Yes, there they grow the Cabbages, there they grow the Cabbages, there they grow the Cabbages—Ten feet high!
Thank you, Gentlemen, I've sung that song a number of times, and I never remember hearing the chorus better sung. If you don't believe me, ask the Coachman.
Coachman. I've never 'eard it better sung, Ladies and Gentlemen, I assure you.

Omdowl Morek

Maga Kernow annonche:

A new CD of songs in Cornish by Philip Knight is now on sale... The album, entitled Omdowl Morek, is available (...) as a CD or MP3 download through [Kesson].

L'Izangnie

L'Izangnie

L'Êfant

Helas! secours de la vie,
En v'la ti une izangnie,
Es longues griffes au long bé.
Si quicun n'y met pas ordre
Je suis seux qu'ou va nos mordre,
Ou s'en va nos avalé!

L'Homme

Chest une espèce nouvelle,
Nou ma dit que nou l'appelle
A Londres: "Crédit-Fonci."
Y suffit de bain s'entendre,
Pour ne pas sé laissi prendre,
Et la mettre sous san pi.

Le Prophète

De Saint Jean à la grand-quezièze,
Je vait tendue une izangnièze,
Qui couvre notre chier Jerri.
Devant que la chose sait faite
Ecoutais-mè le vier prophète
Et tâchiz de vos arrangi.

L'Anmin Flippe
1874