NOT so very long ago Jèrriais, the Island’s very own language, could be heard regularly at events such as cattle shows and farm sales. Now, however, Jèrriais is fading away – even in the depths of the country parishes.

Sterling efforts are being made to keep it alive by Tony Scott Warren and Geraint Jennings, who, as well as being committed enthusiasts, introduce the language to the younger generation though teaching sessions in schools.

Unfortunately, as they and other experts acknowledge, their work is unlikely to secure the long term future of the Island’s idiosyncratic, expressive tongue. Indeed, they forecast that it will have died out completely within 20 years if no further action is taken.

Sadly, the fate of Jèrriais is likely to be sealed by a series of hard facts of life. No one can be certain just how many people have some knowledge of the language, but it is clear that a majority of those who are fluent are now over the age of 50. In addition, opportunities for younger speakers to immerse themselves in Jèrriais are few and far between because the culture with which it was associated in its heyday has all but disappeared.

Nevertheless, given the place it occupies in the Island’s heritage, a case can be made for more investment in Jèrriais, notably through an extension of teaching programmes both in schools and through evening classes at Highlands. That said, a case that is at least as strong can be made for directing available resources towards other languages.

One of the problems of expending more effort on promoting a tongue with so few practical applications is that it could displace the teaching of more relevant and useful subjects. It could, for example, be argued that classes in Mandarin Chinese should have a greater claim on schools’ time and funds.

Even so, Mr Scott Warren’s appeal for an up-to-date assessment of the numbers of Islanders who are able to speak Jèrriais deserves serious consideration. If further attempts are to be made to save the language by government or voluntary bodies it will be essential to achieve an accurate understanding of the scale of the problem.
In the meantime, we can be certain of this – without intervention of some sort, the tongue which was once the Island’s standard means of communication will go the way of Cornish, Manx and so many other functionally dead languages around the world.