Patois 'needing help' to survive

Guernesiaise derived from Norman French

Guernsey needs to do all it can to preserve Patois (Guernsey French), according a Guernsey French group.

In a drive to preserve Guernsey French, the States appointed Jan Marquis as a language officer earlier this year.

The amount of islanders speaking the dialect, also known as Guernesiaise has declined in the last few decades.

Tony Snell from island French group the "Gang from the West" said it can be difficult for Patois speakers to find fellow francophones to converse with.

Guernesiaise is a derivitive of Norman French, which evolved from Latin.