Talk:Channel Islands

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[edit] Which secretary gives advice?

Am I right, that the Queen in Council is not anymore advised by the Home secretary, but by another secretary? 10:43, 23 Nov 2003 (GMT)

[edit] Duchy of Normandy

Are the Channel Islands really still officially part of the Duchy of Normandy, or did they cease to be so either in 1204 or 1259? Psmith 03:03, 11 Oct 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Languages

Could someone add something about the languages spoken on the islands? English is the main language, with only small numbers now still speaking Jersey French 17:27, Nov 6, 2003 (UTC)

Guernsey patois is based on Norman French, but like many regional dialects is dying out. Generally only older residents and a handful of enthusiasts still use the language. Until the Second World War, English was hardly spoken but the evacuation of half of the island's population to England ended centuries of tradition. Many children returned to Guernsey not knowing the patois.
Less than 1,000 people now speak the native ongue and most are over fifty.
neilinder - Any use?
I've lived in Guernsey for 20 years and never heard "patois". Portugese is now quite common because of the large population of seasonal workers. French can also be heard from the many visiting tourists during the summer. --DamienG 00:30, 31 Aug 2004 (UTC)
Are you sure that some of the "French" you are hearing is not, in fact, the patois? Funnyhat 09:06, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)
For further information on Jersey please visit [1]
The languages of the Channel Islands are part of the Norman-French langage which was dominant in France in the Middle ages, finally giving way to the French of Ile de France. It should be remembered that it was Norman-French which modified Anglo-Saxon to become the English language. Guernsey-French has remained purer than that of Jersey which, being physically closer to France, has adopted more of the language of that country. However, Guernsey itself has become more of an English-speaking community than Jersey. I was present at a meeting of the Societe Guernesiase when it was suggested that recordings be made of Guernsey-English before it disappeared. Marie de Garis, an authority on Guernsey-French was not amused, referring to Guernsey-English as 'transitional'.

Like many regional languages, those of the Channel Islands have been suppressed and not encouraged. To refer to them as 'dying' is a euphemism. There are late signs of some revival, but the instruments of repression remain.


[edit] Football clubs

Maybe this is a stupid question,but are there any (amateur)football clubs from the Channel Islands?

For Jersey football, see BBC Radio Jersey football. For Guernsey football, see BBC Radio Guernsey football. Any help? Man vyi 21:23, 11 July 2005 (UTC)

[edit] sark?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-03-08-feudal-island_x.htm?csp=34

[edit] Latin names

I've summarised various theories on the Latin names question over at nrm:Îles d'la Manche for those who are interested. Man vyi 10:45, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] a humerous interpretation of the relationship between the UK and the Channel Islands

"Ask not why the UK still possesses the Channel Islands. The real question is how come the Channel Islands still possess the UK". It's an interesting take, informed largely by their medieval status as part of the Duchy of Normandy.

[edit] Are there any films about the Channel Islands?

The main article could be improved if a link were made to a list of educational films featuring the Channel Islands. Does such a list exist? Or can such a list be created?

Does anybody know if there is a source somewhere (such as National Geographic) for documentaries on the Channel Islands?198.177.27.27 08:40, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Are the Channel Islands a single unit or not?

I know in the article it says the Channel Islands are not a political unit, but it also says that they are remainder of the Duchy of Normandy. Considering the history of Britain, France and Normandy from the 1200s to today, wouldn't this mean that legally, they still constitute one duchy and therefore (at some level) one political unit? Was the Duchy of Normandy ever abolished? And since France went through all those revolutions and is now a republic, then wouldn't that mean, that legally the Channel Islands are the succeeding (and only) Duchy of Normandy since the Duchy in French Normandy was abolished?72.27.29.124 22:45, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

Technically, they are still the Duchy of Normandy, in one sense. However, the problem with this is that the English monarchs eventually abandonned their claims to the Duchy of Normandy—meaning that they no longer ruled over Normandy. The Channel Islands are in the unique position of still being a part of Normandy ruled over by a British Monarch who no longer rules Normandy. Because of this, I expect that the government of the Islands was reconstituted, and they were no longer a "Duchy" after the loss of continental Normandy. So while they may be considered one "unit" in an idealogical sense, they are politically quite distinct (to my knowledge). I am not, however, an expert on this fairly complicated issue, and it would be nice for someone else who understand the situation better than I to provide an explanation. The Jade Knight 10:59, 16 July 2007 (UTC)
As far as the Channel Islands go, I think the Duchy of Normandy could be classed as a national myth rather than a meaningful constitutional principle. Rather as in a constitutional monarchy, the momentum of democratic politics tends to hollow out the powers of the Crown until the monarch remains as a unifying symbol rather than a political force, so the separate development of democratic self-government in the Bailiwicks has tended to reduce the significance of the Crown. The main motivation for maintaining the Duchy as a national symbol has, I suggest, had historically more to do with preserving a distinction as against the United Kingdom, rather than fostering unity between the Bailiwicks. Man vyi 15:59, 16 July 2007 (UTC)
It seems like there is starting to be a unifying element to it, too, these days, what with the Fête des Rouaisons and all. The Jade Knight 01:42, 17 July 2007 (UTC)
One of the effects of the Bailiwicks being freer to establish international relations (short of diplomatic status), is that there is more interest in developing cultural, political and economic links not only with mainland Normandy but with Brittany as well. But co-operation with neighbours doesn't imply integration, of course. Man vyi 17:39, 17 July 2007 (UTC)
The United Nations Statistics Division routinely treats the islands as one single unit within the UN subregion called "Northern Europe". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.113.8.241 (talk) 08:57, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
According to that reference, it also treats them as separate units. Man vyi 11:12, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] About the "move" button on Occupation of the Channel Islands

Hi. The "move" button at the top of the Occupation of the Channel Islands does not appear for some reason. Has someone or something disabled it for some reason? If so, why? Thanks for helping me solve this mystery. IZAK (talk) 11:12, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Oppose move

Article moved to misleading title without discussion. The Channel Islands are not part of the UK and do not "belong" to the UK as made clear in the article. Article should be moved back pending discussion. Man vyi (talk) 05:51, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

Agreed - move reverted. Tivedshambo (talk) 17:38, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Another proposed guideline for "the British Isles"

I have numerous concerns about the current proposal for a guideline for the use of the term British Isles and have written another proposal. My main concerns were that the proposal as it is written here did not walk the line of WP:NPOV, did not have an adequate grounding in current consensus and practice, and did not offer any concrete guidelines per se that an editor could follow or easily understand (in the broadest sense of the term).

My proposed guidelines are here. --sony-youthpléigh 20:36, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Undos

Can't help but notice that my entry got undone for lacking 'citations in accordance with policy'. I was under the impression that citations were not required automatically (I note no references in the entire first paragraph of the article for instance). Unless someone is contesting the facts of what I wrote, can I presume this was simply someone being militant/enthusisatic with the undo button. Or are references to be forthcoming for the "fact" that "The respective capitals, St. Peter Port and St. Helier have populations of 16,488 and 28,310", or indeed that they are the capitals at all. I was under the impression that the general policy of wikipedia was to encourage contributions. 82.10.108.49 (talk) 20:21, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for writing. Yes, I at least welcome you and thank you. The information you added was as follows —
Railways were constructed on 3 of the Channel Islands. Two seperate companies operated lines on Jersey, being the largest island, another operated on Guernsey and a fourth on Alderney. After the 1930s, only the line on Alderney remained, and operates today as a short tourist line.
You should be able to find citations somewhere, either on- or off-line, for these statements. If you don't know how to format the citations, just stick them in any old way and somebody else will do the necessary editing. As for the other facts you mentioned — the population and the capitals, for example — if you want to challenge them, you may do so by inserting [citation needed] where you see a problem — or you could just change the data if you want and see if anybody objects. Citations may not be required if nobody objects to the content, but in general the rule is "Encyclopedic content must be wp:verifiable." Thanks for your attention, and please reinsert the information along with some source or sources to back it up. (It would be more encyclopedic if you actually gave the names of the lines in question, their dates of operation, etc.) Sincerely, your friend, GeorgeLouis (talk) 20:40, 15 April 2008 (UTC)