There are things that we have lost in the other Gallo-Romance languages and that we have preserved in Sarkese. It’s just amazing what they’ve preserved.”
He continues: “Sarkese helps us understand other Gallo-Romance languages and even English. We have probably confirmed an early 20th century theory. [about how the pronunciation of a sound in English has evolved]. And that’s only because of a language spoken by three native speakers and myself. »
Teaching the language is the key to survival, but it is not easy. “There are so many vowels,” Neudörfl explained. “In French it’s about 17, in Sarkese it’s about 50. That’s why Sarkese is so difficult. A word can be pronounced three or four different ways.” Its complexity probably also gave rise to the popular perception that it could not be written.
To make things even more complicated, the language has different dialects. The island consists of Big Sark and Little Sark, which are joined by La Coupee, a dramatic isthmus so narrow that before the railings were installed, children were forced to crawl across it in strong winds. As I leaned over the railing and looked down at the beach below bathed in winter sunshine, I remembered a story told to me by Jo Birch, honorary secretary of La Société Sercquaise. She had described two Sarkese-speaking sisters who, when asked about a difference in the language used by another speaker, responded: “What do you expect? They come from Little Sark. »
Neudörfl teaches children at Sark School (the only school on the island) via video or in person when he can get to the island, and runs a weekly online course for adults. “So much about Sark is unique and we don’t want to lose that,” said Michelle Brady, Sark’s school principal. “It is the young generation who will keep [the language] while going. So, for me, I just thought it was very important that it continued. Martin is also so good with children that he has become a real character for them.”