Des nouvelles d’la s’maine pâssée:
Kit Ashton – the lead singer and founder of Jèrriais pop-folk band Badlabecques – is due to give a short lecture on how music could help save endangered languages around the world.
He will present his paper, entitled ‘Singing Identity: Music and Endangered Languages’ at the Special Research Forum, which is a joint venture between Goldsmiths College (University of London), and the University of Osaka in Japan. The forum is a sequel to the symposium called ‘Safeguarding the Intangible: Cross-cultural perspectives on Music and Heritage’ held in February 2014. Academics and students from all over the world will see a range of presentations discussing music and heritage. Kit, who is currently completing a Masters in Music at Goldsmiths, will talk about Jersey, and the work being done to revitalise Jèrriais. He will discuss the theory behind what Badlabecques do, and how this might apply to other cultures and languages.
Kit says:
“We are lucky in Jersey to have our own language. It is part of our living culture and I hope it is something that can define us going us going forward in the future. Music is also something that helps define who we are, and linking these two things holds a lot of potential for keeping Jèrriais alive. It will be a real privilege to represent the island on an international platform.”
Kit Ashton will present his paper in the Stuart Hall Building, Goldsmiths College, London, at 11am, 19/2/15.