Cajun French français cadien/français cadjin
Spoken in:	Louisiana
Total speakers:	18,680[1]
Language family:	Indo-European  Italic   Romance    Italo-Western     Western      Gallo-Iberian       Gallo-Romance        Gallo-Rhaetian         Oïl          French           Cajun French
Language codes
ISO 639-1:	none
ISO 639-2:
ISO 639-3:	frc
French spread in Louisiana. Parishes marked in yellow are those where 4–10% of the population speak French or Cajun French at home, orange 10–15%, red 15–20%, brown 20–30%.
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

Cajun French (sometimes called Louisiana Regional French [2]) is one of three varieties or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana, specifically in the southern parishes. Other Louisiana French dialects include Napoleonic French and Colonial or Plantation Society French, spoken primarily in Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, St. Charles, St. John the Baptiste, Jefferson, West Bâton-Rouge, Pointe-Coupée, Avoyelles, St. Mary, Iberia and St. Landry parishes. Cajun French is not the same as Louisiana Creole. Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Current distribution of Human Language Families A language family is a group of related languages said to have descended from a common proto-language. ... The Indo-European languages comprise a family of several hundred related languages and dialects [1], including most of the major languages of Europe, as well as many spoken in the Indian subcontinent (South Asia), the Iranian plateau (Southwest Asia), and Central Asia. ... The Italic subfamily is a member of the Centum branch of the Indo-European language family. ... The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family, comprising all the languages that descend from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. ... Italo-Western is the largest sub-group of Romance languages. ... Gallo-Romance languages Gallo-Italian languages Lombard Piedmontese Emilian-Romagnol Venetian Ligurian Gallo-Rhaetian languages Oïl languages(including French) Burgundian Champenois Franc-Comtois French Gallo Lorrain Norman Anglo-Norman Channel Island Norman Auregnais Dgèrnésiais Jèrriais Sercquiais Picard Poitevin-Saintongeais Walloon Rhaetian languages Friulian Ladin Romansh *Franco... The Gallo-Romance branch of Romance languages includes French, Oïl languages, Catalan, and Occitan, among other languages. ... The geographical spread of the Oïl languages (except French) can be seen in shades of green and yellow in this map Langues doïl is the linguistic and historical designation of the Gallo-Romance languages which originated in the northern territories of Roman Gaul now occupied by northern... ISO 639-1 is the first part of the ISO 639 international-standard language-code family. ... ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages. ... ISO 639-3 is an international standard for language codes. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... The Unicode Standard, Version 5. ... A variety of a language is a form that differs from other forms of the language systematically and coherently. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variant, or variety, of a language spoken in a certain geographical area. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Map of the first (light blue) and second (dark blue — plain and hachured) French colonial empires France had colonial possessions, in various forms, from the beginning of the 17th century until the 1960s. ... Louisiana Creole (Créole Louisiane and Kourí-Viní, as it is known in and near St. ...

It is usually presumed that Cajun French is almost solely derived from Acadian French as it was spoken in the French colony of Acadia (located in what is now the Maritime provinces of Canada and in Maine). However the dialect also has influences from Canadian French, Louisiana Creole, Haitian Creole, Swiss French, Belgian French, as well as Parisian French^{[citation needed]}. Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... The national flag of Acadia, adopted in 1884. ... The Maritimes or Maritime provinces are a region of Canada on the Atlantic coast, consisting of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Canadian French is an umbrella term for the dialects or varieties of French found in Canada [1] and areas of French Canadian settlement in the United States. ... Louisiana Creole (Créole Louisiane and Kourí-Viní, as it is known in and near St. ... Haitian Creole (Kreyòl ayisyen) is a creole language based on the French language. ...

Cajun differs from Parisian (or Metropolitan) French in pronunciation, vocabulary and intonation (linguistics). Intonation, in linguistics, is the variation of pitch when speaking. ...

Parishes where Cajun French was historically spoken

• Acadia
• Ascension
• Assumption
• Evangeline
• Iberia
• Iberville
• Jeff Davis
• Lafayette
• Lafourche
• St. James
• St. Landry
• St. Martin
• St. Mary
• Terrebonne
• Vermilion
• East Baton Rouge Parish
• West Bâton Rouge

Acadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Ascension Parish (French: Paroisse dAscension) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Assumption Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Evangeline Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Iberia Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Iberville Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Jefferson Davis Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Lafayette Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Lafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the state of Louisiana. ... St. ... St. ... St. ... St. ... Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Vermilion Parish (French: Paroisse de Vermilion) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... East Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... West Baton Rouge Parish (French: Paroisse de Baton Rouge Ouest) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ...

History

In 1755 (during the French and Indian War), about 75% of the Acadian population living in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia was 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. 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants France First Nations allies: * Algonquin * Lenape * Wyandot * Ojibwa * Ottawa * Shawnee Great Britain Iroquois Confederacy American Colonies Strength 3,900 regulars 7,900 militia 2,200 natives (1759) 50,000 regulars and militia (1759) Casualties 3,000 killed, wounded or captured 10,400 killed, wounded or captured The French and... The Acadians (French: Acadiens) are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia (located on the northern portion of North Americas east coast). ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit(Latin) One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis - Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 11 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... Deportation is the expelling of someone from a country. ... The Great Upheaval (le Grand Dérangement), also known as the Great Expulsion, The Deportation or the Acadian Expulsion, was the forced population transfer of the Acadian population from Nova Scotia between 1755 and 1763, ordered by British governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council. ... Modern département of Maine-et-Loire, which largely corresponds to Anjou Anjou is a former county (c. ... Coat of arms of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, Plantagenet claimant to the county of Poitou, now favored as the coat of arms of Poitou by people in Poitou Poitou was a province of France whose capital city was Poitiers. ... Poitevin (Poetevin) is a language spoken by the people in Poitou. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ...

Over time Cajun became the firmly established language of many Louisiana parishes west of the Mississippi River. Cajun was not only spoken by the Cajun people but also by other ethnic groups that lived in Acadian settled areas. Creoles, amerindian ethnic groups such as the Houma, Chitimacha, Bayougoula, Tunica-Biloxi, Atakapa, Opelousa, Okelousa, and Avoyel, through their cohabitation in south Louisiana's parishes eventually became proficient in the Cajun French dialect. Creoles and Amerindians already spoke French prior to the arrival of the Acadian people in Louisiana. For Louisiana Creole ethnicity, refer to the New Orleans and Louisiana Creole section of the Creole page. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Tunica-Biloxi is tribe living in Mississippi and east central Louisiana. ... Atakapa is the name of a group of small bands and the language of Native Americans that lived along the Gulf of Mexico. ...

The term "Cajun" is reported to have 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 pronunciation 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. Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles and peoples of other ethnicities with whom the Acadians eventually intermarried on the semitropical frontier. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Map of Acadiana Region with the Cajun Heartland USA subregion highlighted in dark red. ... The national flag of Acadia, adopted in 1884. ...

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. This article is about the year. ... ...

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.-1... The text below is generated by a template, which has been proposed for deletion. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

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 "cher" (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 uncertain.

Dialects

Cajun French changes depending on communities and ethnic groups. However, Cajun French has two distinct dialects: Prairie French and Bayou French.[3]

Prairie French

Prairie French is spoken among Cajun, Creole and Black residents in southwest Louisiana.

Bayou French

Bayou French is primarily spoken among Cajuns and American Indians in southeast Louisiana. The Black population of southeast Louisiana now only has a few non-fluent speakers.

Borrowed Words

This section includes inline links to audio files. If you have trouble playing the files, see Wikipedia Media help.

Image File history File links Gnome-speakernotes. ...

Words of Native American origin

Image File history File links Cajun_French_Bayou. ... Image File history File links Cajun_French_Chaoui. ... Image File history File links Cajun_French_Choupique. ... Image File history File links Cajun_French_Latanier. ... Image File history File links Cajun_French_Pacane. ... Image File history File links Cajun_French_Patassa. ... Image File history File links Cajun_French_Plaquemine. ... Image File history File links Cajun_French_Tchoc. ...

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. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... The langue doïl language family in linguistics comprises Romance languages originating in territories now occupied by northern France, part of Belgium and the Channel Islands. ...

• 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 a venu" [mɔ̃.pæ.ɾɑ.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 Canadian 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 anglicized spellings, e.g. Cajun Les le bon ton rouller for standard Laisse le bon temps rouler^[2] or Laissez les bons temps rouler (Let the good times roll.). Poitevin (Poetevin) is a language spoken by the people in Poitou. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... The alveolar trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... The langue doïl language family in linguistics comprises Romance languages originating in territories now occupied by northern France, part of Belgium and the Channel Islands. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Eaux is a common ending for historically Cajun surnames like Breaux, Babineaux and Boudreaux. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... “Lorry” redirects here. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

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 Canadian 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. Canadian French is an umbrella term for the dialects or varieties of French found in Canada [1] and areas of French Canadian settlement in the United States. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

See also

Cajun French test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator

• Acadian French
• List of Louisiana parishes by French-speaking population
• French in the United States
• Canadian French
• Cajun English
• Endangered language
• List of endangered languages

Image File history File links Incubator-notext. ... Wikipedia (IPA: , or ( ) is a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization. ... Incubator logo The Wikimedia Incubator is a wiki run by Wikimedia Foundation. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... These data are taken from the 2000 Census of the United States, and relate to the language spoken at home by inhabitants of Louisiana five years of age or more. ... French language spread in the United States. ... Canadian French is an umbrella term for the dialects or varieties of French found in Canada [1] and areas of French Canadian settlement in the United States. ... Acadiana, the tradtitional Cajun homeland and the stronghold of both the Cajun French and English dialects. ... An endangered language is a language with so few surviving speakers that it is in danger of falling out of use. ... A list of endangered languages (with fewer than 1000 speakers or in rapid decline). ...

References

1. ^ Read, William A. 1931. Louisiana-French. Revised edition. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.
2. ^ Title of a song from the Cajun singer Zachary Richard and a radio broadcast of Cajun music

Cajun French Dictionary and Phrasebook by Clint Bruce and Jennifer Gipson ISBN 0-7818-0915-0. Hippocrene Books Inc. Zachary Richard is a Louisiana singer, songwriter, and poet who works in both French and English. ...

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.

External links

• LSU Cajun Pages

• 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
• Les 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
• Ethnologue report for Cajun French
• Cane River Valley French
• Cajun French taught by a native of Louisiana - Jim Leger teaches the language that is quickly disappearing
• Terrebonne Parish French Online!