From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This official stone which marks the inauguration of a municipal
office in 1999 bears the names of the
Connétable and the
Procureurs du Bien Public of
Saint Helier.
Îles de la Manche (Channel Islands) used in a Jersey
passport
Jersey Legal French, also known as
Jersey French, is 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 Assemblée
parlementaire de la Francophonie. The English
language has been allowed in parliamentary debates since
February 2, 1900; the current use of French in the parliament is
generally restricted to formalities (prayers, ceremonies,
formulæ).
Jersey's two official languages are French and
English.
Jersey Legal French is not to be confused with Jèrriais, a variety of
Norman
language also called Jersey Norman-French, spoken in 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
It is notable that the autochthonous appellation of the
archipelago is îles de la Manche (Channel
Islands) — îles anglo-normandes (Anglo-Norman
Islands) is a somewhat recent invention in continental
French.
Like 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 nénante for 90 in Jèrriais).
The names of days and months are usually written in capital
letters.
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
| Jersey Legal French |
French |
English |
| barguin |
affaire |
bargain |
| chelin |
shilling |
shilling |
| en désastre |
en banqueroute |
bankrupt |
| impôts |
droits de régie |
customs and excise duties |
| principal |
contribuable du rât |
principal (ratepayer of a certain value) |
| quartier |
unité de valeur de propriété foncière |
quarter (unit of ratable value) |
| rât paroissial |
taxe foncière |
parish rate |
| taxe sur le revenu |
impôt sur le revenu |
income tax |
| taxer le rât |
voter la taxe foncière lors d'une Assemblée de
paroisse |
set the rate (by vote at a Parish Assembly) |
Agriculture
| Jersey Legal French |
French |
English |
| bannelais |
|
road sweepings (used for fertiliser) |
| charrière |
|
passage between rocks used for vraicing (collecting seaweed for
fertiliser) |
| fossé |
haie |
hedge |
| hèche |
barrière |
gate |
| heurif |
tôt |
early (e.g. potatoes) |
| vraic |
varech |
seaweed (used for fertiliser) |
Administration
| 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 |
témoin assermenté |
sworn witness |
| Centenier |
|
senior Honorary Police officer |
| écrivain |
notaire |
solicitor |
| Connétable |
maire |
Constable (elected
head of Parish) |
| Deputé-Bailli |
bailli adjoint |
Deputy Bailiff |
| Juré-Justicier |
juge |
(elected) judge |
| levée de corps |
enquête judiciaire |
inquest |
| lier à la paix |
relâcher sous condition |
bind over to keep the peace |
| loger au Greffe |
déposer (un projet de loi) |
lodge (table) a bill etc. |
Real
estate
| Jersey Legal French |
French |
English |
| icelle borne |
ladite borne |
the said boundary stone |
| corps de bien fonds |
parcelle de bien-fonds |
Latin: corpus
fundi |
| côtil |
|
steeply sloping field or other land |
| côtière |
côté d'un édifice où 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 (établie) |
(established) boundary stone |
| bail à fin d'héritage |
vente (de propriété foncière) |
sale |
| bail à termage |
bail (de propriété foncière) |
lease |
| issues |
|
strip of land alongside road |
| lisière |
bande de terrain |
strip of land |
| pierre ou devise |
borne (à établir) |
boundary stone (newly established) |
| au pourportant |
de la même étendue |
co-extensive |
| relief |
|
strip of land on other side of wall or hedge |
Influence
of Jersey Legal French on Jersey English
Jersey
English has imported a number of Jersey Legal French titles and
terminology. Many of these, in turn, derive from Jèrriais. The
following are examples likely to be encountered in daily life and
in news reports in Jersey: rapporteur, en défaut
(in default, i.e. late for a meeting), en désastre, au
greffe, greffier (clerk to Court or the States),
bâtonnier (lawyer in charge of Bar, particularly for legal aid),
mandataire, autorisé (returning officer at elections, or other
functions), projet (parliamentary bill), vraic,
côtil, temps passé (time past), vin
d'honneur (municipal or official reception),
Centenier, Vingtenier, Chef de Police
(senior Centenier), Ministre
Desservant, branchage (pronounced in English as
the Jèrriais 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).
| Norman language |
|
| Channel Island dialects |
|
|
| Continental dialects |
|
|
| Historic and legal |
|
|
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