Louisiana French | |
---|---|
français louisianais | |
![]() The flag of French Louisiana. | |
Native to | United States |
Region | French Louisiana (New Orleans, Cajun Country), southeastern Texas |
Ethnicity | Louisiana French (Cajun, Creole) |
Native speakers | 200,000 to 300,000 (2012)[1] |
Early forms | |
Official status | |
Official language in | ![]() |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | frc |
Glottolog | caju1236 Cajun French |
ELP | Cajun French |
Linguasphere | 51-AAA-iie |
![]() Blue indicates Louisiana
parishes where French was commonly spoken in 2011. |
Louisiana French (Louisiana French: français de la Louisiane; Louisiana Creole: françé la lwizyàn) is an umbrella term for the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisiana French is primarily used in the state of Louisiana, specifically in its southern parishes.
Over the centuries, the language has incorporated some words of African, Spanish, Native American and English origin, sometimes giving it linguistic features found only in Louisiana.[2][3][4][5] Louisiana French differs to varying extents from French dialects spoken in other regions, but Louisiana French is mutually intelligible with other dialects and is most closely related to those of Missouri (Upper Louisiana French), New England, Canada and northwestern France.
Historically, most works of media and literature produced in Louisiana—such as Les Cenelles, a poetry anthology compiled by a group of gens de couleur libres, and Creole-authored novels such as L'Habitation St-Ybars or Pouponne et Balthazar—were written in standard French. It is a misconception that no one in Louisiana spoke or wrote Standard French.[6] The resemblance that Louisiana French bears to Standard French varies depending on the dialect and register, with formal and urban variants in Louisiana more closely resembling Standard French.
The United States Census' 2007 American Community Survey estimated that 3.5% of Louisianans over the age of 5 spoke French or a French-based creole at home.[7] As of 2023, The Advocate roughly estimated that there were 120,000 French speakers in Louisiana, including about 20,000 Cajun French, but noted that their ability to provide an accurate assessment was very limited. These numbers were down from roughly a million speakers in the 1960s.[8] Distribution of these speakers is uneven, however, with the majority residing in the south-central region known as Acadiana. Some of the Acadiana parishes register francophone populations of 10% or more of the total, with a select few (such as Vermilion, Evangeline and St. Martin Parishes) exceeding 15%.[citation needed]
French is spoken across ethnic and racial lines by people who may identify as Cajuns, Creoles as well as Chitimacha, Houma, Biloxi, Tunica, Choctaw, Acadians, and French Indians among others.[6][9] For these reasons, as well as the relatively small influence Acadian French has had on the region, the label Louisiana French or Louisiana Regional French (French: français régional louisianais) is generally regarded as more accurate and inclusive than "Cajun French" and is the preferred term by linguists and anthropologists.[10][11][12][13] However, "Cajun French" is commonly used in lay discourse by speakers of the language and other inhabitants of Louisiana.[5]
Louisiana French should further not be confused with Louisiana Creole, a distinct French-based creole language indigenous to Louisiana and spoken across racial lines. In Louisiana, language labels are often conflated with ethnic labels, and Cajun-identified speakers might therefore call their language "Cajun French" even when linguists would identify it as Louisiana Creole.[14] Likewise, many Creoles of various backgrounds (including Cajuns) do not speak Louisiana Creole but rather Louisiana French.
Parishes in which the dialect is still found include Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Pointe Coupée, Vermilion, and other parishes of southern Louisiana.
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