Decoding the dialect

A local advises...

Whilst English is the most widely spoken language here in Jersey, if you find yourself interacting with some of the purest of locals you might notice a distinctive intonation that’s likely a remnant of our Norman roots despite sounding closer to a South African twang.

They’re hard to find these days but they’re definitely out there, mostly hidden away in the rural parishes. I should know, I’m descended from them and occasionally find myself pronouncing an ‘arn’ sound as ‘on’ in a way that’d likely disgust the Queen. The example sentence above sums this up relatively succinctly. If you find yourself talking to somebody who pronounces words like this there’s a good chance they’ll be able to give you reliable directions. Just make sure you’re pronouncing the place names properly. To give you a head start we’ve listed a few on the page to the right.

Where are you heading?

Here are a few commonly mispronounced place names and how to say them so that nobody stares at you in complete and utter bewilderment. Good luck!

St. Brelade

Ouaisné St. Ouen

St. Aubin

L’Etacq

What you see

Hautes Croix

Bonne Nuit

Carrefour Selous

Mont Orgueil saint breh-lard weigh-nay saint one saint oh-bin let-ack hoe qw-uh bon nwee car-four sell-ooh mont or-guy