Cajun French
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Further information: Cajun
| Cajun French Français cajun |
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| Spoken in: | Louisiana | |
| Total speakers: | 17,240[1] | |
| Language family: | Indo-European Italic Romance Italo-Western Western Gallo-Iberian Gallo-Romance Gallo-Rhaetian Oïl French Cajun French |
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | ||
| ISO 639-3: | frc | |
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| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
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 and in Maine), 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.
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[edit] History
In 1756 (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 themselves "Cadiens" or "Cadjins" in French. The first spelling is derived from the French spelling "Acadien" and the second is an approximation, using French phonetics, of the pronouncation of the group name in Cajun French. "Cadien" is the French spelling preferred by Cajun academics. "Cajun" is an English word which is not accepted by Cajun academics to designate the group in French. 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 Roman 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.
[edit] 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. 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.
[edit] 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.
- 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").
- /a/ is pronounced with tongue towards the back of the mouth, being more like /ɑ/.
- /k/, /t/ are pronounced /ʧ/ (before /a/(?) and /i/, respectively).
- /d/ is pronounced /ʤ/ (before /i/), as in the word Acadian. (This sound is represented in modern Poitevin-Saintongeais by the digraph jh)
- /r/ is pronounced as an alveolar trill or flap rather than the uvular fricative of standard French and other dialects. /r/ is dropped when at the end of a syllable; for example: "mon père" [mɔ̃.pæː], but "mon père est venu" [mɔ̃.pæ.ɾe.vø.ˈny].
- /wa/ pronounced /we/, similar to Quebec French (and also to other langues d'oïl), but also often more like /ɔ/, with a bit of an offglide towards /u/, similar to Acadian French.
- Surnames ending in "-eaux" instead of the French "eau."
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 (let the good times roll).
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.
[edit] See also
- Acadian French
- List of Louisiana parishes by French-speaking population
- French in the United States
- Quebec French
- Cajun English
[edit] References
Cajun French Dictionary and Phrasebook by Clint Bruce and Jennifer Gipson ISBN 0-7818-0915-0. Hippocrene Books Inc.
Tonnerre mes chiens! A glossary of Louisiana French figures of speech by Amanda LaFleur ISBN 0-9670838-9-3. Renouveau Publishing.
A Dictionary of the Cajun Language by Rev. Msgr. Jules O. Daigle, M.A., S.T.L. ISBN 0-9614245-3-2. Swallow Publications, Inc.
Cajun Self-Taught by Rev. Msgr. Jules O. Daigle, M.A., S.T.L. ISBN 0-9614245-4-0. Swallow Publications, Inc.
Language Shift in the Coastal Marshes of Louisiana by Kevin J. Rottet ISBN 0-8204-4980-6. Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
Conversational Cajun French I by Harry Jannise and Randall P. Whatley ISBN 0-8828-9316-5. The Chicot Press.
[edit] External links
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- A beginner's introduction: What is Cajun French?
- Le français cadien par thèmes: Cajun French by Themes
- Faux amis: How to Speak French in Louisiana Without Getting in Trouble
- Glossaire Français Cadien-Français Européen: Cajun-Standard French Glossary
- L'interrogatif en français cadien: Forming questions in Cajun French
- pronoms personnels cadiens: Cajun personal pronouns
- Les pronoms sujets et le système verbal: The Basics of Verb Conjugation
- Les animaux dans la métaphore populaire: Cajun animal metaphors
- Un glossaire cadien-anglais: Cajun French to English glossary
- La Base de données lexicographiques de la Louisiane
- Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL)
- Cajun language websites
- PBS American Accent series - Cajun
- Ethnologue report for Cajun French
- Le Tabloid Cadien! La Culture Pop! En Français Cadien!
- Cane River Valley French
| Dialects of the French Language |
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Standard French |
