Channel Islands Languages

Description
The official languages are French and English, but English is gradually supplanting French. The language commonly used is English, but in the county districts of Jersey and Guernsey and throughout Sark some people also speak a Norman-French dialect. A majority of the records are written in French.

The Norman language predominated in the islands until the nineteenth century, when increasing influence from English-speaking settlers and easier transport links led to Anglicisation.

There are four main dialects/languages of Norman in the islands
 * Auregnais (Alderney) - extinct in late twentieth century. The last known native speaker of Auregnais died around 1960.
 * Dgèrnésiais (Guernsey) - It is sometimes known on the island simply as "patois".
 * Jèrriais (Jersey) - also known as the Jersey Language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English. It is a Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people.
 * Sercquiais (Sark) - an offshoot of Jèrriais. Also known as Sarkese or Sark-French (lé sèrtchais). Sarkese is in fact a descendant of the 16th century Jèrriais used by the original colonists.

Word List(s)

 * French Genealogical Word List