'You have to take your hat off': Meet the family of the man who wrote the first Jèrriais Dictionary

  • ITV Channel's Sophie Dulson meets the family of the Jerseyman who wrote the very first Jèrriais-French Dictionary to find out more about their heritage and special connection to the language

Dictionaries are usually produced by teams of many people. Astonishingly, the very first Jèrriais-French Dictionary was essentially the work of a single person from St Ouen.

The late Dr Frank Le Maistre published this Jèrriais-French dictionary in 1966. He spent decades noting down words in Jèrriais from conversations he had with thousands of Jersey people.

Dr Frank Le Maistre (pictured left) received an honorary award for his dedication to the language. Credit: Société Jersiaise

Dr Le Maistre's son, François, grew up only speaking Jèrriais from birth and started learning English when he went to school at the of seven.

François says: "We spoke Jèrriais all the time, every day, all day, and I didn't know any English.

"All the children were in the same boat from the country, so when we went to school we had to learn pretty darn quick, and we did."

Dr Le Maistre's work ensures specific elements of Jersey’s indigenous language are catalogued and not forgotten. Credit: ITV Channel

Dr Le Maistre not only catalogued words but also recorded the richness of different pronunciations across the Island and highlighted analogies with words in other Channel Islands and mainland Normandy.  

Had it not been for Dr Le Maistre's dedication, many recorded words and expressions could have been lost forever.  

François explains: "You have to take your cap off and say well done because boy what he did was fantastic.

"We wouldn't have the Jèrriais that we have today if it had not been for my father, so yes, I'm very proud."

François Le Maistre has been teaching Jèrriais for the last 25 years. Credit: ITV Channel

Despite being surrounded by Jèrriais speakers Frank's grandson, Charlie Le Maistre, only truly found his passion for the language seven years ago. However, he now wishes he learnt it sooner.He says: "It has really transformed my understanding of my Grandfather, my Poppa, and in some respects, I feel a bit disappointed with myself because if I had been able to speak the language, our relationship would have been completely different."Charlie has certainly made up for lost time. Now a teacher of Jèrriais, like his father, he and Francois hope they can continue to keep the language alive, along with Dr Frank's legacy.

Charlie Le Maistre began teaching Jèrriais seven years ago after developing a passion for the language. Credit: ITV Channel

Charlie concludes: "We are on a huge journey to revitalise the language and you know it is a huge undertaking and it's going to take a long long time but his legacy is so important to our learners today.

"I think if my grandfather could see what was happening now, he really would be pleasantly surprised and very very encouraged."The Le Maistre family vows to preserve the 652-page dictionary, not only for new learners of the language, but to protect their family legacy for many years to come.

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