“Au buon monde de Ser... puise l'ute île tréjoue r'tenin la bieauté trantille q'j'trouvis et q'j'aimis, quan j'y vins ya pus d'quarante ans déjà”

Sark
Ken Hawkes
 

...Every household expected spider crabs for tea on that day. “Des huelins pour la Saint-Jean” were as important as hot cross buns on Good Friday!...

Guernsey Evening Press 23/6/1956

....”One for the road” on Christmas day was usually offered as “un verre caud” (a hot glass – of wine or spirit with sugar and boiling water added to taste). This was also the most popular drink of the day with most Sark families...

Guernsey Evening Press 30/12/1955

...the card games would be either Sauver le Cinq (French) called in our patois Sauver le Shain, and the English translation, Save the Five....

Sark, My Island Home
Heather L. Baker
1978
 

When, at Sark's Easter Chief Pleas, Sieur A. G. Falle, of Stock's Hotel, remarked that all members should learn Sark Norman-French, probably he had little thought for just how much the island would benefit should all members interested in the preservation of the native tongue co-operate in forming a Société Sercquiaise of an Assembliée d'Sercquiais.

It is a distressing fact that few Sark Children are able to converse in their native tongue, though a fair number understand it. In but a few years, Sark-French will be heard no more unless something is done to arrest its decline.

At the Chefs Plaids, Deputy Harold de Carteret expressed the opinion that English only should be spoken thus giving the "strangers" a chance of knowing what was being said, and in reply to Sieur A. G. Falle's retort, asked if that member could teach the language, adding, somewhat acidly, "You can't even write it".

There may have been a great deal of truth in this, for I have not yet met any Sercquiais who can write his own language. I must, however, disagree with a statement made in Guernsey recently that the Channel Islands Norman-French is not a literary language, for there are a number of littérateurs of considerable distinction in Jersey and Guernsey whose contribututions in this field have been exceedingly meritorious.

Strange to relate, but Deputy de Carteret is most fluent in la langue Serquiaise and is one of those in the island who can read Jersey-French. What is more, Deputy de Carteret is an amusing and colourful raconteur and an actor of no mean ability; his performance last year in a Jersey-French play by Mr. S. P. Le Ruez will never be forgotten.

Now then, while the Island has these Sark-French speaking people, a society should be formed not only from among members of the Chefs Plaids but from all walks of island life, including those "strangers" who have a desire to learn a new and interesting language. I feel sure that outside help would be forthcoming from insular Normans who can write the language.

The first requisite would be to acquire a tape recorder; recordings could then be sent to Jersey (Sark-French being closely related to Jersey-French), possibly to l'Assembliée d'Jèrriais, some of whose members might volunteer to render the spoken into the written word.

There are, surely, immense possibilities in this linguistic field, for recordings of Sark-French could also be sent to Guernsey; in fact there could be an inter-island exchange.

Of the People's Deputies in Sark's Chefs Plaids who are more at home in Sark-French and who could therefore be described as "vrai Sercquiais," I can think of Deputies John guille, Winter Vibert, Harold de Carteret, John P. Hamon, Elie de Carteret, Stanley Falle and Mrs. Lillian Baker, and of the Tenants there are Sieurs A.G. Falle, E.S. Falle, Charles Perrée, E. C. Perrée and Philip Perrée, Mrs. Esther Perrée, Sieurs John Baker, Ensor Baker, James Baker, Herbert Baker, William Baker (Sénéchal), Walter James Hamon, W. J. Hamon (Le Fort) and J. V. Hamon, Mrs. Harriet Hamon, and Sieur John P. Le Feuvre, Mrs. S. N. Hathaway, Capt. John Henry and Sieurs Stephen Henry and Robert de Carteret.

The Prévôt, Sieur Philip Guille, and the Greffier, Sieur Hilary Carré, are also fluent in the language.

It can be seen, therefore, that of the 36 Tenants, no fewer than 21 are more at home in their native tongue, and of the 12 People's Deputies seven are Sark-French speaking. That being the case, should the Sark-French speaking members decide to address the House in the vernacular, then 20 members would not understand what the other 28 were talking about.

There would seem to be a case for the formation of a Société Sercquiaise which could instruct all-comers in the language of the island and combine with the other Channel Islands in preserving for posterity the old-Norman-French tongue.

Sark Correspondent

Evening Post 25/4/1955

... Stepping ashore, Pilot Baker said in Sark-French: "I'd take anyone or anything, anywhere, anytime in this boat. She wouldn't drown a kitten."

And I believe him...

Evening Post 6/4/1955

... They thus tramped back up Le Mont du Creux and what they has to say "en Sercquiais", about monopolies and nationalization in general is quite unprintable...

Evening Post 6/4/1955

...Professor Lefebvre hopes to make further recordings to-morrow, this time of Mr. and Mrs. Ph. Perrée, a well-known Sark couple now resident in the Island...

Evening Post 27/4/1955

Up to this point the Court proceedings had been conducted in English, but discussion then ensued between the Sénéchal, Prévôt, Greffier, Constable and the other applicants in the vernacular...

Evening Post 7/6/1955

... a typical old Sark scene, replete with old wishing well and an elderly Sertchais making crab pots...

Evening Post 13/6/1955

I asked a leading member of Chief Pleas yesterday whether any special surprises would be laid on at the school as at the Pancake election. He replied: "Nou pense bein qué l'Sieu' Albèrt Falle apport'ra du vin brûlé et d'la galette pouor les Douzenyis et les Connétablyes."

Evening Post 1954

 

... Mr. and Mrs. John Hamon, stewards of the Island Hall, have also returned to Sark after holidaying in Jersey. They are giving a graphic account of the excitement which reigned during Jersey's Senatorial elections and were thrilled to hear the Jersey-French songs by the supporters of Senator T. G. Le Marinel. All the songs are well known in Sark, Mrs. Hamon's father, Deputy Winter Vibert, and Mr. Jean Carré, of La Joie, are among the few people in Sark to-day who take the stage on great Sark occasions to entertain the inhabitants with Sark-French songs and poetry – with appropriate actions.

Evening Post 23/11/1954
 

I am reliably informed, through the medium of Sark's "bush telegraph", that before Mr. Head relinquishes his seat, he is to ask Chief Pleas what measures can be taken to preserve the language of the island. I understand he will suggest that as the finances of Sark are in a healthy state, an additional teacher should be engaged to take the children in Sark-French on two half-days per week and that parents should be asked to co-operate by always conversing with their children "en Sercquiais" and encouraging their children to reply in the same tongue.

An excellent suggestion, if I may say so, for only by these means will the language be preserved.

Evening Post November 1954

 

Man mari est bein malade
Et j'n'sais qu'est'ce qu'i' a

J'm'en fus-t-en Guer-ne-si
Du Lundi à Mercredi

Mais quan j'ervins i'tait mort
Et encore ensev'li

J'appis mes p'tites ciselettes
Point à point j'l'décousais

Mais quan j'appraichis p'tite gorgette
J'craignais qu'i' n'me mordisse

J'l'appis par l'gros orté
J'l'env'yis avau l'côti

J'priyis tous les corbins
D'v'ni prieu auprès d'li
 

Le Prince, voulant entendre parler la langue des Serkois, se rendit à Serk Lundi dernier, accompagné de M. Stephen Martin, Shérif de la Reine. Son Altesse fit la traversée de Guernesey à Serk à bord du steamer Queen of the Isles, en compagnie de 120 autres excursionnistes. En debarquant le Prince fut reçu par le Seigneur de Serk, qui l'invita à monter en voiture et à se laisser conduire au Manoir. Il accepta, mais avant de partir il assembla un certain nombre d'insulaires et les pria de lui traduire dans le dialecte de l'île la Parabole du Semeur. Les insulaires le firent de la meilleure grâce du monde, et le Prince leur donna un souverain en les quittant. Ces pauvres gens restèrent ébahis devant cette munificence. Après avoir pris une collation au Manoir, le Prince fit une promenade dans l'île et visita les endroits les plus curieux qu'eslle possède; puis, en revenant au Manoir, il s'arrêta à l'hôtel d'Icart, tenu par Mrs. Vaudin, et voulut s'assurer si la traduction de la Parabole était correcte. A cet effet il entra en conversation avec l'hôtesse et sa fille, lesquelles indiquèrent plusieurs omissions qui furent corrigées. Dans la soirée du même jour, Son Altesse retourna à Guernesey avec les autres excursionnistes.

Nouvelle Chronique de Jersey 20/9/1862