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En Jèrriais
Bouônjour bouonnes gens. Ch’r’est mé, Marianne Sargent, tchi vos présente la Lettre Jèrriaise chutte sémaine et dans chu lettre chîn j’voudrais pâler entouor ma bouonne aminne Madanme Joan Tapley. Tout comme, i’ faut prendre souain pa’ce qu’ou s’sa à liéthe chu lettre pouor faithe la corrig’gie d’vant qué j’la transmette sus l’radio!
Y’a deux-trais s’maines, j’ai ieu l'pliaîsi d’attendre les célébrations du Jubilé Diamant à Government House. Ch’tait eune belle séthée d’solé quand ma collègue Susan et mé j’arrivînmes à jouaindre les tas d’gens assembliés sus l’hèrbe arreuné auvec la musique d’La Ronde Concert Band tchi fliott’tait sus la brise d’êté.
J’y feûnmes à êcouter l’s annonces du Gouvèrneux entouor les médalles par la Reine à sept îlemans tchi font un tas pouor la communité d’l’île. J’sis enjouée à dithe qué Joan ’tait ieune d’ches gens et ou ’tait en attendance. Ou ’tait belle, à presqué nénante ans, habilyie en bliu et embonn’tée dans un pashmina tchi ’tait bein smarte. Joan et sa fil’ye fûtent à eune lévée du Gouvèrneux dans la Grande Maîson auvec Méssire Stephen et la Danme Dalton dé bouonne heuthe et i’ ’taient accompangnies achteu par sa p’tite fil’ye pouor la partie dans l’gardîn.
Justément d’vant huit heuthes deux Caledonian pipers crouaîsîtent lé tapis d’vèrduthe et l’Gouvèneux c’menchi à faithe les annonces. Joan ’tait la preunmiéthe d’êt’ r’connue auvec un British Empire Medal pouor ses sèrvices à not’ natife langue Jèrriaise. Susan et mé adjoindînmes un coupl’ye dé ‘whoops’ à la appliaud’di comme Méssire Stephen d’valit d’la tchaîthe du lecteu pouor lyi donner ses félicitâtions.
Après l’s annonces la Milice dé Jèrri commenchit la saluette dé vîngt-tch’iuns coups, tchi ’tait hardi excitant, espécialement viyant qué Susan et mé èrfusitent les pliogues pouor not’ ouothelles quand j’arrivînmes. Châque canon dêchèrgit auvec eune diffethente forche. Tchiques canons fîtent un p’tit pop quandi qué l’s aut’s fendîtes l’air auvec eune aidgue cliaque. Un coupl’ye d’canons mantchitent feu, dons l’s aut’s ’taitent pus haut. Les célébrâtions ’taitent finnies auvec eune pathade dé musique par la troupe d’l’Île dé Jèrri.
J’sis hardi contente qué Joan a ieu dé donné chutte honneu. Eune langue est la vouai d’eune tchultuthe. L’s histouaithes entouor l’s anchêtres dé Jèrri sont racontés par la vouaie du Jèrriais. Comme eune langue minnoritaithe, Jèrriais est hardi en dangi, mais ch’est grâce et mèrcie à Joan qu’oulle l’a revillie. Ses êtudgiants chanceux ont gangni eune richesse d’la connaîssance entouor not’ île et s’n histouithe agricole et sociale et nos à gangni eune compréhension dé not’ héthitâge.
Dépis chînq ans j’ai liu et présenté un tas d’histouaithes et poésies êcris par Joan pouor la Séction du Jèrriais d’l’Eisteddfod dé Jèrri. J’ai châré l’s arrînmés traditionnelles qu’oulle a ramâssé et traduit auvec les jannes êfants qué j’ensîngne. Joan à visité l’s êcoles primaithes auvec mé à célébrer les difféthents tchultuthes en Jèrri et liu l’s histouaithes en Jèrriais ès êfants dans les clâsse pouor les p’tits. Dreinement, j’travaillînmes ensembl’ye à traduithe ‘La Maîson Crêpie et Squouîzie’, un livre en portraits par Julia Donaldson et Axel Scheffler. Lé livre s’sa publié et distribué à touos l’s êfants dans les clâsses réceptions alentou d’Jèrri l’année tchi veint.
Don, mes grandes félicitâtions Joan. J’sis hardi chanceuse dé t’connaître. Mèrcie mille fais pouor tout.
À la préchaine fais.
In English
Hello everyone. It is me again, Marianne Sargent, with your Lettre Jèrriaise this week and in this letter I would like to talk about a dear friend of mine, Mrs Joan Tapley. However, I will need to be careful what I say, as she will be proof reading this for me before it is broadcast!
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Diamond Jubilee celebrations at Government House. It was a beautiful sunny evening when my colleague Susan and I arrived to join the hundreds of people gathered on the manicured lawns with the music of La Ronde Concert Band floating on the early summer breeze.
We were there to hear the Lieutenant Governor announce the honours awarded to seven islanders who have made a significant voluntary contribution to our island community. I am delighted to say that Joan was one such individual and she was in attendance looking beautiful at almost 90 years of age, dressed all in blue and wrapped in a smart pashmina. She and her daughter had earlier attended a reception with Sir Stephen and Lady Dalton inside Government House and they were now accompanied by her grand-daughter for the garden party.
Shortly before 8pm two Caledonian pipers crossed the lawn and his Excellency began making the announcements. Joan was the first to be recognised with a British Empire Medal for her outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of our native Jèrriais language. Susan and I added a couple of whoops to the polite applause as Sir Stephen stepped down from the lectern to congratulate her.
After the announcements the Jersey Militia set off a 21 gun salut, which was really quite exhilarating, especially seeing as Susan and I had declined the ear plugs on offer at the entrance as we’d walked in! Each gun fired with a different level of force, some making a dull pop and others splitting the air with a sharp crack. A couple of the guns misfired, making those that followed sound even louder. The celebrations were rounded off with a musical parade by the Band of the Island of Jersey.
I am so glad Joan has been bestowed this honour. A language is the voice of a culture. It is through the voice of the Jèrriais language that the stories of Jersey’s ancestors are told. As a minority language, Jèrriais is critically endangered, but it is still very much alive and this is in large part thanks to Joan, who is the absolute beating heart. Those of us who have been lucky enough to learn Jèrriais with her have gained a wealth of knowledge about our island’s agricultural and social history, leading to a greater personal understanding of our own cultural heritage.
Over the past five years I have read and performed many of the stories and poems Joan has written for the Jèrriais Section of the Jersey Eisteddfod. I have shared the traditional Jèrriais rhymes she has collated and translated with the young children I teach. Joan has visited primary schools with me to participate in their celebrations of cultural diversity and read stories in Jèrriais to children in the Foundation Stage. We recently worked together to translate A Squash and a Squeeze, the picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, and this is due to be published and distributed to every child in Reception classes across Jersey’s primary schools next year.
So many congratulations Joan. I am so glad to know you and call you my friend. Thank you so much for everything.
Until the next time.