Louisiana Creole French
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louisiana Creole French (Créole Lalouisiane) is a French-based creole language spoken in Louisiana. It has many resemblances to other French creoles in the Caribbean. While Cajun French and Louisiana Creole have had a significant influence on each other, they are not closely related. While Cajun is basically a dialect with grammar similar to standard French, Louisiana Creole applies a French lexicon to a system of grammar and syntax which is quite different from French grammar.
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[edit] Grammar
In general, the grammar of Louisiana Creole is very similar to the grammar of Haitian Creole. Definite articles in Louisiana Creole are "a" and "la" for the singular, and "yè" for plural. Unlike French, Creole places its definite articles after the noun. Since there is no system of noun gender, articles only vary on phonetic criteria. "a" is placed after words ending in a vowel, and "la" is placed after words ending in a consonant.
Another aspect of Louisiana Creole which is unlike French is the lack of verb conjugation. Verbs do not vary based on person or number. Verbs also do not vary based on tense. Verb tenses are marked by a set of participles or simply by context.
[edit] Vocabulary
[edit] Numbers
Included are the French numbers for comparison.
| Number | Louisiana Creole | French |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | en | un |
| 2 | de | deux |
| 3 | trwa | trois |
| 4 | katr | quatre |
| 5 | senk | cinq |
| 6 | sis | six |
| 7 | set | sept |
| 8 | wit | huit |
| 9 | nèf | neuf |
| 10 | dis | dix |
[edit] External links
- Introduction to Louisiana Creole
- Louisiana Creole Immersion Initiative
- Cane River Valley French
- Cultures of Acadiana: BLACK CREOLE
- Louisiana Creole Grammar
- Lousiana Creole French at Ethnologue
- Centenary University Bibliothèque Tintamarre Texts in Louisiana Creole
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[edit] References
- Valdman, Albert, Thomas A. Klingler, Margaret M. Marshall, and Kevin J. Rottet (eds.). 1996. The Dictionary of Louisiana Creole. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
| Languages derived from French see also French-based creole languages |
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In the Americas: Haitian Creole (kreyòl ayisyen) • Michif • Lanc-Patuá |
