Editing Guernsey (section)

=== Languages ===
English is the language in general use by the majority of the population, while [[Guernésiais]], the [[Norman language]] of the island, is spoken fluently by only about 2% of the population (according to the 2001 census). However, 14% of the population claim some understanding of the language. Until the early 20th century, French was the only official language of the Bailiwick, and all deeds for the sale and purchase of real estate in Guernsey were written in French until 1971. Family and place names reflect this linguistic heritage. [[George Métivier]], a poet, wrote in Guernésiais. The loss of the island's language and the Anglicisation of its culture, which began in the 19th century and proceeded inexorably for a century, accelerated sharply when the majority of the island's school children were evacuated to the UK for five years during the German occupation of 1940–45.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}