Jèrriais-French Dictionary on sale at special low price to mark 50th anniversary of publication and 950th anniversary of Battle of Hastings

14th October 2016 is not only the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, which led to the English language being transformed by a wealth of Norman words, but also the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français, which translates, explains, and preserves a wealth of Jèrriais, our Norman language of Jersey.

In order to mark this historic occasion, Le Don Balleine, publishers of the dictionary, are for a limited period making a special offer to purchasers. From 14th October, the first 10 copies of the dictionary will be sold for the special anniversary price of £10.66. Once the first 10 copies are sold, the dictionary will be on sale from Le Don Balleine at the reduced price of £30.00 until 14th November when the dictionary will revert to its normal retail price of £43.50. Copies of the dictionary at the special offer price (one per purchaser) can be ordered from the online shop of L’Office du Jèrriais  or by phone 449290.

The publication of the Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français in 1966 was the result of the lexicographic labours of one man, Frank Le Maistre (1910-2002). His son, Jean Le Maistre, remembers how his father worked on the dictionary for many years:

“Lé Dictionnaithe, as we call it, was truly a labour of love. It took over 25 years of research across the Island and a further 10 years to actually compile. It translates over 17,000 Jèrriais words into French and often illustrates their use in a variety of contexts employing in excess of 750,000 words to do so. Remarkably my father achieved all of this working entirely on his own whilst, during the period of compiling the dictionary, also running and working on the family farm.”

More recently, the Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français has been followed by English-Jèrriais and Jèrriais-English dictionaries, but the encyclopaedic nature of the Dr Le Maistre’s dictionary, containing as it does a store of knowledge of Jersey customs, beliefs, traditions, recipes, and historical information, means that it is unsurpassed as a source of information about Jersey’s own special language and its landscapes, events, lifestyles, buildings, and people.

For interviews about how the Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français came about, contact:

Jean Le Maistre Tel:484004 or e-mail jalemaistre@gmail.com