Cajun French is a variety or dialect of the French language spoken primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana, particularly in Avoyelles Parish, Assumption Parish, East Baton Rouge, Evangeline Parish,
Iberia Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Point Coupe Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish,
St. Landry Parish, Terrebonne Parish, Vermilion Parish, and West Feliciana Parish,
Colors indicate the Percentage & Numbers of People in the State of Louisiana that speaks Cajun at Home.
White = 0.5% or less
Yellow = 0.5-1.0%
Brown = 1.0-2.0%
Red = 2.0% or more
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.
Although the Cajun dialect may differ, (Beyound popular belief) - Normal conversation between parties of European France, Quebec Canada, Haiti and South Louisiana is not hindered due to the differences of pronunciation and vocabulary.
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 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 the public schools. In the Lafayette area there is a French Emersion System in the public schools starting the students out in learning their native tongue as early as kindergarten. 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 although the numbers showed a dramatic increase of people in Louisiana that does speak Cajun at home on the 2000 Census. 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.
Differences from Standard French
Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for a pronunciation key.
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 say "je suis passe(e) par la maison," ("I am passed by the house")
or "il a parti" ("he has departed/left") instead of the standard "il est parti" ("he is departed/left")
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.
Resources
The Online Program designed for the LSU French Studies Students, is very useful when learning to speak the Cajun Language. The program is recognized by the Cultural Services Office of the French Ambassador to the United States as a centre d’excellence, an honor given to only 15 university French programs in the United States.
The user of this online program has the option to see how the word is written and hear how the word is spoken in Cajun.
To access this program click here : http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/frenchweb.nsf/$Content/Cajun+French+Glossary?OpenDocument