Cajun French

Cajun French is a variety or dialect of the French language spoken primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana, particularly in Lafayette Parish, Evangeline Parish, St. Landry Parish, Iberia Parish, Vermilion Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, and Assumption Parish.

It is usually presumed that Cajun French is solely derived from Acadian French as it was spoken in the French colony of Acadia (now located in the Maritime provinces of Canada), though the dialect also had influences from Quebec French, Haitian French and Haitian Creole, as well as European French. Cajun is a dialect of French, but differs from Parisian or Metropolitan French in some areas of pronunciation and vocabulary.

History

In 1755 (during the French and Indian War), about 75% of the Acadian population living in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia were deported in what is often known as the Great Expulsion. Many of them resettled in Louisiana, establishing the culture and language there. Through the Acadian language, Cajun is ultimately descended from the dialects of Anjou and Poitou (see Poitevin-Saintongeais). This heritage has left a few archaic words in the dialect; for example, crevette ("shrimp") is said chevrette.

The term "Cajun" is derived from the English pronunciation of the French word Acadien. Some cajuns call themselmes "cadiens", which doesn't derive from the English pronunciation. The primary region where Cajun French is spoken is called Acadiana (not to be confused with Acadia, which refers to the region where Acadian French is spoken). Cajun areas of Louisiana sometimes form partnerships with Acadians in Canada who send French teachers to teach the language in schools.

In 1984, Jules O. Daigle, a Catholic priest, published A Dictionary of the Cajun Language, the first dictionary devoted to Cajun French. It is generally considered the authority on the language, though it is not exhaustive. It does not contain some alternate spellings and synonyms which Father Daigle deemed "perversions" of the language, but which are nonetheless popular among Cajun speakers and writers.

Decline and Resurgence

Many residents of Acadiana are bilingual, having learned French at home and English in school. In recent years the number of speakers of Cajun French has diminished considerably, but efforts are being made to reintroduce the language in schools. The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) was established during the late 1960s to promote the preservation of French language and culture in Louisiana.

Some people question whether the Cajun language will survive another generation. The number of people who speak Cajun has declined dramatically over the last fifty years. Many parents intentionally did not teach their children the Cajun language to encourage English language fluency, in hopes that the children would have a better life in an English-speaking nation. However, many of these same parents are discovering that their grandchildren are researching and trying to learn the language.

Many young adults are learning enough Cajun to understand Cajun music lyrics. Also, there is now a trend to use Cajun language websites to learn the dialect. Culinary words and terms of endearment such as "chèr" (dear) (pronounced "shah" or "sheh") and "nonc" (uncle) are still heard among otherwise English-speaking Cajuns. Most agree that the Cajun accent of American English has yet to be successfully mastered by any actor or actress playing a Cajun in a Hollywood movie. Some of the language will continue to exist, but whether many people will be able to conduct a full and fluent conversation in the language is still an uncertain question.

Differences from Standard French

Cajun differs in some areas of pronunciation and vocabulary from the accepted standard of Metropolitan French. In some cases these are differences that are retained from the western langues d'oïl from which Cajun is descended.

The same pronoun is used for first person singular; je parle in Cajun is the same as in French. However, nous parlons in standard French is always on parle in Cajun French, as it is commonly in all varieties of spoken French.
Past tense constructions are almost all made using the verb avoir (to have) in Cajun French whereas there are a few important verbs whose compound past tense is made using être (to be) in standard French. Thus, Cajuns may say "j'ai passé par la maison" (lit. "I have passed by the house") where standard French would require "je suis passé(e) par la maison," (lit. "I am passed by the house"), or "il a parti" (lit. "he has departed/left") instead of the standard "il est parti" (lit. "he is departed/left").
is pronounced with tongue towards the back of the mouth, being more like .
, are pronounced (before /a/(?) and /i/, respectively).
is pronounced (before /i/), as in the word Acadian. (This sound is represented in modern Poitevin-Saintongeais by the digraph jh)
is pronounced as an alveolar trill or flap rather than the uvular fricative of standard French and other dialects. is dropped when at the end of a syllable; for example: "mon père" , but "mon père est venu" .
pronounced , similar to Quebec French (and also to other langues d'oïl), but also often more like , with a bit of an offglide towards , similar to Acadian French.

Over the years, Cajun French speakers have incorporated many anglicisms (such as truck) directly into the language. Due to extensive contact with English-language culture, business and communications, this is also a common phenomenon in both Quebec French and Acadian French and is gaining momentum rapidly in France.

The majority of Cajun speakers have never been schooled in French and thus are not familiar with standard French spelling. As a result, much written Cajun has non-standard or anglicised spellings, e.g. Cajun Les le bon ton rouller for standard Laissez les bons temps rouler.

The first person plural subject pronoun used in Cajun French is "on" as it is in all spoken varieties of French. "On" is conjugated using the third person singular form of the verb. "We speak French" translates as "On parle français". "Nous-autres" can also be added before "on" to clarify; it is also used both in Quebec French and Acadian French.

Cajuns tend to have a slight pause after each syllable. Also, the last consonant of a syllable is usually elided into the start of the next one.

Refer to Daigle's book and Cajun French Dictionary by Clint Bruce and Jennifer Gipson ISBN 0781809150. Hippocrene Books Inc.

External links

French language | Cajun | Cajun (Sprache) | Français cajun | Cajun-Frans

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Cajun French

History

Decline and Resurgence

Differences from Standard French

See also

External links