French dialect formerly used administratively in Jersey
Jersey Legal French
, also known as
Jersey French
(
French
:
francais de Jersey
), was the official dialect of
French
used administratively in
Jersey
. Since the anglicisation of the island, it survives as a written language for some laws, contracts, and other documents. Jersey's
parliament
, the
States of Jersey
, is part of the
Assemblee parlementaire de la Francophonie
. The use of the
English language
has been allowed in legislative debates since 2 February 1900; the current use of French in the
States of Jersey
is generally restricted to certain limited official state functions and formalities (prayers, ceremonies, formulæ).
By common custom and usage
, the most spoken languages of Jersey in present times are the
English language
and Jerriais.
Jersey Legal French is not to be confused with
Jerriais
, a variety of the
Norman language
also called Jersey Norman-French, spoken on the island.
The French of Jersey differs little from that of
France
. It is characterised by several terms particular to Jersey administration and a few expressions imported from Norman.
List of distinguishing features
[
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]
It is notable that the local term for the archipelago is
iles de la Manche
(
Channel Islands
) ?
iles anglo-normandes
(
Anglo-Norman Islands
) is a somewhat recent invention in continental French.
As in
Swiss French
and
Belgian French
, the numbers
70
and
90
are
septante
and
nonante
, respectively, not
soixante-dix
and
quatre-vingt-dix
(compare the use of
nenante
for 90 in Jerriais).
Initial capital letters are commonly used in writing the names of the days of the week and months of the year.
Messire
is used for the title of
knighthood
(continental French uses
sir
, often lower case) – for example, the former
Bailiff
of Jersey, Sir
Philip Bailhache
is correctly addressed in French as
Messire Philip Bailhache
.
Finance
[
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]
Jersey Legal French
|
French
|
English
|
barguin
|
affaire
|
bargain
|
chelin
|
chelin
or
shilling
|
shilling
|
louis
|
livre
|
pound
|
en desastre
|
en banqueroute
|
bankrupt
|
impots
|
droits de regie
|
customs and excise duties
|
principal
|
contribuable du rat
|
principal (ratepayer of a certain value)
|
quartier
|
unite de valeur de propriete fonciere
|
quarter (unit of ratable value)
|
rat paroissial
|
taxe fonciere
|
parish rate
|
taxe sur le revenu
|
impot sur le revenu
|
income tax
|
taxer le rat
|
voter la taxe fonciere (lors d'une Assemblee de paroisse)
|
set the rate (by vote at a Parish Assembly)
|
Agriculture
[
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]
Jersey Legal French
|
French
|
English
|
bannelais
|
|
road sweepings (used for fertiliser)
|
charriere
|
|
passage between rocks used for vraicing (collecting seaweed for fertiliser)
|
fosse
|
haie
|
hedge
|
heche
|
barriere
|
gate
|
heurif
|
tot
|
early (e.g. potatoes)
|
vraic
|
varech
|
seaweed (used for fertiliser)
|
Administration
[
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]
Jersey Legal French
|
French
|
English
|
mandataire
|
|
voting representative of a ratepaying company
|
perquage
|
chemin de sanctuaire
|
(so-called) sanctuary path
|
Procureur du Bien Public
|
|
elected attorney (legal and financial representative) of a Parish
|
rapporteur
|
porte-parole
|
spokesperson (of committee)
|
Visite du branchage
|
|
inspection of roads
|
Visite Royale
|
|
inspection of a Parish by the Royal Court
|
vingtaine
|
|
administrative division of a Parish
|
Vingtenier
|
|
Honorary Police officer
|
voyeur
|
temoin assermente
|
sworn witness
|
Centenier
|
|
senior Honorary Police officer
|
ecrivain
|
notaire
|
solicitor
|
Connetable
|
maire
|
Constable
(elected head of Parish)
|
Depute-Bailli
|
bailli adjoint
|
Deputy Bailiff
|
Jure-Justicier
|
juge
|
(elected) judge
|
levee de corps
|
enquete judiciaire
|
inquest
|
lier a la paix
|
relacher sous condition
|
bind over to keep the peace
|
loger au Greffe
|
deposer (un projet de loi)
|
lodge (table) a bill etc.
|
Real estate
[
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]
Jersey Legal French
|
French
|
English
|
icelle borne
|
ladite borne
|
the said boundary stone
|
corps de bien fonds
|
parcelle de bien-fonds
|
Latin
:
corpus fundi
|
cotil
|
|
steeply sloping field or other land
|
cotiere
|
cote d'un edifice ou le mur n'est pas en pignon
|
external wall of building other than gable end
|
becquet de terre
|
champ de terre
|
parcel of land
|
borne
|
borne (etablie)
|
(established) boundary stone
|
bail a fin d'heritage
|
vente (de propriete fonciere)
|
sale
|
bail a termage
|
bail (de propriete fonciere)
|
lease
|
issues
|
|
strip of land alongside road
|
lisiere
|
bande de terrain
|
strip of land
|
pierre ou devise
|
borne (a etablir)
|
boundary stone (newly established)
|
au pourportant
|
de la meme etendue
|
co-extensive
|
relief
|
|
strip of land on other side of wall or hedge
|
Influence of Jersey Legal French on Jersey English
[
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]
Jersey English
has imported a number of Jersey Legal French titles and terminology. Many of these, in turn, derive from Jerriais. The following are examples likely to be encountered in daily life and in news reports in Jersey:
rapporteur
,
en defaut
(in default, i.e. late for a meeting),
en desastre
,
au greffe
,
greffier
(clerk to Court or the States),
batonnier
(lawyer in charge of Bar, particularly for
legal aid
),
mandataire
,
autorise
(
returning officer
at elections, or other functions),
projet
(parliamentary bill),
vraic
,
cotil
,
temps passe
(time past),
vin d'honneur
(municipal or official reception),
Centenier
,
Vingtenier
,
Chef de Police
(senior Centenier),
Ministre Desservant
,
branchage
(pronounced in English as the Jerriais
cognate
even though spelt in the French manner – trimming hedges and verges on property border; also used jocularly for a haircut),
Seigneur
(feudal lord of the manor).
References
[
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]
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Channel Islands
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Continental Europe
| |
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Historic and legal
| |
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Literature
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