User:Heir-of-Isildur/Guernésiais

Article Draft
What this article needs: academic sources/references with proper citation, additional information, "citation needed" in most places

history and current status need to be switched in the table of contents/order

things that might be useful to include: a "revitalization" section, Yan Marquis

(The above is my brainstorming)

SMALL EDITS

Guernésiais, also known as Dgèrnésiais, Guernsey French, and Guernsey Norman French, is the variety of the Norman language spoken in Guernsey. It is sometimes known on the island simply as "patois". As one of the langues d'oïl, it has its roots in Latin, but has had strong influence from both Old Norse and English at different points in its history.

(There is a lot of information on this page which is missing citations. the template is needed extensively. For the purpose of not crowding the article, it will be placed more strategically.) [noted - thank you CES]

"Current Status" section needs to be revamped. Much of the information included says nothing about its status, only about revitalization efforts. As such, this information should either be moved to the new "Revitalization section" or should be renamed.

History

Guernsey was once a part of Normandy; this is the reason why Norman French persevered as a language in the Channel Islands for hundreds of years and also why Guernésiais is considered related to the Oïl language family. Later, as Guernsey gained independence from Normandy, French protestant refugees escaped to the island from fear of persecution in mainland France; they quickly gained influence and positions of power in education, religion, and government. This accounts for the long tradition of a diglossic relationship between French and Guernesiais whereby French had prestige while Guernesiais did not. (done)

The introduction of English to the Island came with the Napoleonic Wars and the outposting of English soldiers on the island as well as an increase of English tourism and immigration. With the German occupation of Guernsey from 1940 to 1945, Guernesiais suffered more of a decline because children were evacuated off the island, which resulted in Guernesiais not being passed down from the parents to the children. It is from this point onwards that Guernesiais continued to decline in use and so, according to the 2001 census conducted in Guernsey, only 2.2% of the population at the time were fluent in Guernesiais. (done)

Revitalization
While Guernesiais does not have status as an official language of the island, revitalization efforts are still being undertaken on a small scale. One group, Le Coumité d'la Culture Guernesiaise, organizes activities and events that celebrate Guernesiais. The Eisteddfod cultural festival is a public event where attendees can enjoy plays, poems, and music performed in Guernesiais. There is also a local choir on Guernsey called La Guaine du Vouest who conduct musical performances in Guernesiais to further promote the language and the cultural and linguistic heritage of Guernsey. (done)

It wasn't until 2007 when efforts to revitalize Guernesiais were undertaken at an official level, when the government appointed a Language Support Officer (LSO), albeit with ambiguous direction. The position was only held until 2011; after that, there was no replacement and instead a Language Commission was formed in order to support efforts to revitalize Guernesiais by smaller groups. (done)