Guernsey to showcase local language for King

The Guernsey Language Commission hopes King Charles, who learnt Welsh when he was invested as Prince of Wales, will enjoy learning about Guernesiais

Guernsey French speakers will showcase the island's local language for King Charles III and Queen Camilla's visit to the island on Tuesday.

Members of the Guernsey Language Commission plan to share some words in the language, which is also known as Guernesiais or Guernsey patois, as well as explaining its heritage.

The organisation has also designed a special banner for the occasion, which reads Bianvnus en Guernesi vos majestaïs, which means Welcome to Guernsey your majesties.

Joy Liggett, who is in charge of raising awareness for the commission, said it was an "unexpected honour to be part of this memorable occasion".

She said she was looking forward to sharing her "passion for celebrating Guernesiais" with the King and Queen.

The commission said it was hoping the King, who learned Welsh before he was invested as Prince of Wales, will "be interested hear another regional language from within the British Isles".

The commission said islanders who have an interest in discovering more about Guernesiais are welcome to come and chat to the team at their display on the Crown Pier once the King and Queen have left.

"There will be leaflets to take away with useful phrases and also the opportunity to learn how to say your telephone number in our island’s language," it said.

Guernesiais, a dialect of the Norman French language, is the traditional language of the island of Guernsey.

It is still spoken by a small percentage of people, mostly over 65s according to the commission, as well as carrying on in road names, place names, and some words that have made their way into local English.

Alderney once had a closely-related language, but it is now extinct, while Sark's native language, Sercquiais, which is descended from Jersey's version of Norman French, only has a handful of speakers.

Guernsey's official language was traditional French until 1948 and it is still used in some official circumstances.