AN “immersion school” in which pupils are constantly exposed to Jèrriais could help revive Jersey’s native language, a linguist has suggested.
Geraint Jennings, who has worked for 25 years to preserve Jèrriais, believes that the Island could replicate the success seen in the Isle of Man, which brought the Manx language back from the brink of extinction with its immersion school.
Such facilities expose students to a specific language through everyday activities, helping them to learn it naturally.
The language advocate, who is also a Jèrriais promotion officer with Jersey Heritage, said: “We have regular contact with the Isle of Man because they brought their language back from the brink and now have bilingual speakers, thanks to their immersion school.”
Mr Jennings described an immersion school as a long-term goal. In the short term, he suggested “immersion units”, where Jèrriais would be used exclusively in certain subjects, which could be introduced within existing schools.
These units could begin with subjects such as maths, where precise vocabulary makes teaching in another language easier, he said, before they gradually expanded to include other subjects.
“Obviously, what would be best for Jèrriais would be a Jèrriais immersion school,” Mr Jennings said. “But if there was a school with a policy of teaching bilingually, it would be much easier to introduce and expand the use of Jèrriais in the curriculum.”
