Sercquiais

Sercquiais or Sark French ( Lé Sèrtchais ) is a Norman dialect spoken on the Channel Island of Sark . Among the islanders , the language is also referred to by the term patois (German "local language").

Sercquiais is a 16th century branch of Jèrriais , the language of the inhabitants of the Channel Island of Jersey . The branch was formed during the settlement of the uninhabited island by 40 colonist families , who came from the Parish Saint Quen on Jersey; The emerging dialect experienced further changes through influences of the Dgèrnésiais , the dialect of the island of Guernsey . In addition, the dialect is closely related to the extinct dialect of the island of Alderney , Auregnais and continental Norman . It is also assumed that there were two sub- dialects of the Sercquiais in the period of early settlement .

The active speakers of Sercquiais include the island's elderly residents. Despite the strong uptake of English and anglicised lexemes , there is a conservatism in phonology , as phonemes have been preserved that were dismantled in Jèrriais since the 16th century. However, the language has suffered greatly in recent years from the immigration of English tax refugees and the lack of funding from state institutions. Many of the local place names have retained their sark French form.

Web links

• Jèrriais and Sercquiais today by Dr Mari C. Jones - from the BBC