La Ville - Town

I was making a video up at Fort Regent (with a prepared text) and decided I might as well ad-lib some comments about Saint Helier against the panoramic urban background.

Speak Cornish Week

As a minority language speaker, I have an interest in how speakers of other regional and minority languages promote their linguistic culture. This week is Speak Cornish Week: "the language community's annual celebration of the Cornish language. This year we are celebrating the Cornish language by encouraging people to do a short video clip of themselves saying a little Cornish."

They're promoting Cornish phrases for here I am / here we are - so why not have a go and promote the Jèrriais equivalent at the same time?

Ottavy yn Jersenys
Mé v'chîn en Jèrri
(Here I am in Jersey)

On television, in the pub with Jèrriais

France 3 Normandie reported on the weekly Jèrriais pub sessions (and managed to inflate my job title - I'm an employee at L'Office du Jèrriais rather its creator):

Cette semaine une de nos équipes vous emmène découvrir nos voisins et cousins de l'île de Jersey. Ce territoire, qui dépend de la couronne britannique, a son propre gouvernement autonome,, et sa propre culture, où trois langues coexistent: anglais, jersiais et français.

Catalongne, Catalunya (Catalonia)

J'présentis deux-trais poésies à la Fête Nouormande en Dgèrnesy chu weekend pâssé et n'en v'chîn un vidgo.

I performed a couple of poems at last weekend's festival of Norman language and culture which was hosted this year by Guernsey. Here's a video of me doing a poem inspired by the violent suppression of the independence voting in Catalonia.

Trais rouais d'l'Êst, hoummes avisés - Eastern monarchs, Sages Three,

Since it's World Music Day, here's a song translation. Yes, it's a Christmas carol, but à forche dé crier Noué, i' veint. I started working on it at Christmas last year when I was in a Christmassy mood, but obviously not in such an inspired mood to get around to finishing it. I came across the fragment a few days ago, and coming back to it fresh I quickly sketched in the gaps and then finished it off. I've left the chorus line in Latin, but I might offer an alternative at some point.

So why this one? It was a favourite at school, but it's not well known. I still like hearing at at Christmas, so it's natural that I'd eventually get round to a translation. So here it is, an early Christmas present for World Music Day:

Trais rouais d'l'Êst, hoummes avisés

auve des présents, v'nez donner

vos louanges au p'tit Christ tch'est né:

Cum Virgine Maria.

L'or, ch'est un présent rouoya;

L'enchens, pouor san rectorat;

La myrrhe, ch'est s'n onguent finna:

Cum Virgine Maria.

N'y'a pon d'fîn à san pouver;

i' règne sus tout tch'a 'té grée;

tout s'pâsse s'lon san bouôn vouler:

Cum Virgine Maria.

Quand veindra la dreine jug'gie

qu'i' pardonne not' mauvaîtchi

j'nos fiêthons à san pitchi

Cum Virgine Maria.

À li sait toute louange, toute glouaithe,

tout honneu et toute victouaithe;

jé n'pouôrrons janmais nos taithe:

Cum Virgine Maria.

Les anges en tchoeu prannent lé vo;

i' louangent d'ité coumme d'ito

chu saint mousse bèrchi dans l'tro:

Cum Virgine Maria.

Chantons touos à l'Iun en Trais

nos cantiques en tchoeurs dé jouaie

pouor l'béni à haûteu d'vouaix:

Cum Virgine Maria.

Connétables (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Jersey) Law 2012

This weekend I'm discharging the functions of Connétable of Saint Helier. How come? Since 2012 legislation has empowered the Procureurs du Bien Public of a Parish to act in place of the Connétable (in the Parish but not in the States) in case of incapacity or absence. The senior Procureur (i.e. the longest serving) takes over in the first instance, but if he/she is not available then the junior Procureur takes over. However the junior Procureur may take over the functions of Connétable instead of the senior Procureur (even if the senior Procureur is available) with the consent of HM Attorney General.

The law is the Connétables (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Jersey) Law 2012, and although it is reasonably clear, one could envisage problems.

For example, how ill would a sitting Connétable have to be for a Procureur to take over? And who decides?

The question of absence from the Island is clearer. If the Connétable is out of the Island for more than 7 days, then a Procureur discharges the functions of the office. If however the Connétable is out of the Island for 7 days or less then the Connétable may continue to discharge her/his functions in absentia provided they've informed at least one of the Procureurs of their intention to do so. The logic of the law is that if they want to continue discharging their functions while away, they have to notify a Procureur before leaving the Island - and cannot change their mind while they are away (because they cannot discharge any function of Connétable that is being discharged by a Procureur).

So rather than being the case that a Connétable may delegate functions to a Procureur in their absence from the Island, the transfer of power is automatic unless the Connétable takes the notifying step.

There are exemptions: a Procureur cannot exercise any function relating to the States Assembly or the Comité des Connétables, and decisions regarding the appointment or removal of the Chef de Police can only made following consultation with HM Attorney General.

All this works fine provided the Connétable and Procureurs work as a team. However possibilities for mischief exist as potentially a Procureur in the absence of the Connétable would have the power to undo a lot of the Connétable's administrative agenda. And unlike an appointed assistant, a Connétable cannot remove a Procureur.

Also as the Connétable is ex officio president of the Roads Committee and is required under the Loi (1914) sur la Voirie to convene the Roads Committee whenever asked by at least one member. So in theory the Connétable could be away, the Procureur in charge could receive a request to convene the Roads Committee, would have to comply, and a slim majority of a quorum of the Roads Committee could effect major changes in policy.

Some of these issues will need to be considered when putting the municipal administration of Saint Helier on a modern legal basis, and if we foresee the possibility of an entrenchment of party politics in the Island, what will happen if Connétable & Procureurs are from different parties?

National Day of Russia

Something to celebrate Russia's National Day today. Here's a translation into Jèrriais of a poem by Nikolai Gumilyov (first husband of Anna Akhmatova; shot by the Bolsheviks), followed by a reading of the original in Russian.

Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities

Happy Portugal Day!

Here's a Jèrriais version of a Camões poem:

S'tu n'es d'fis d'âme janmais d'samouothâchie,
lanchant à touos les bords un yi d'faveu;
s'tu'es pouor mouontrer à un châtchun un tchoeu
tréjous d'douocheu épis d'amour remplyi;

jusqu'entréchîn mouontre-mé qu'j'sis mêprîsi,
sustout qu'tu m'haïthas à man tout seu
à seule fîn qu'à la fîn des fîns j'aie creu
qu'ché s'sa raîque mé, véthe, qué tu'éthas chouaîsi.

Ch'est en tchi s'tu traite touos les hoummes douochement,
v'là tchi prouve qué l'chein sustout préféthé
est l'chein pouor tchi qu'tu n'as autchun êcant.

Ma chiéthe, jé n'peux dgéthe êt' aimé par té
si tan tchoeu tcheint tchique aut' amour dédans:
l'amour, tch'est iun, n'est pon pouor êt' châré.