The French-Cajun Dialect
Karey Boland
This presentation examines the immersion between the French and English languages that took place in Louisiana in the late nineteenth century. After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, Louisiana officially became a state in America in 1812. The state was forced to go through an Americanization process that quickly turned many communities into chaos. Through this political change, the French culture came under pressure, as the newly established state government banned any connection with the French language and culture. New laws were enforced, replacing all French language material with English material in educational and governmental institutions. Through the forced immersion, school children faced harsh discrimination and humiliation as they tried to quickly adapt to the language change. As students worked to learn English, they faced language barriers because they communicated in French at home and English in school. Over time the Cajun people created a unique dialect as a way to communicate in a bilingual community. Dialects are an immersion of two different languages or accents and can be studied through sociolinguistics and morphology. To understand what dialects are and how they evolve one needs to understand how dialects connect to society, but the morphology or pronunciation of the dialect is just as important as there are a variety spoken across the state. The Cajun dialect is a complex communication system but has helped communities thrive in changing environments. However, the dialect has faced a sharp decline due to natural disasters that have caused families to become displaced, ultimately creating a disconnection with the Cajun culture. Within the last part of the twentieth century, the dialect has become endangered and could face extinction in a few decades. Over recent years there have been numerous programs created to help preserve and document the dialect across the state of Louisiana. Louisiana State University’s French Professor Amanda LaFleur has compiled a collection of Cajun French words and their meaning to help her students understand the basics of the Cajun language. Lafleur, among others in the linguistics field, is on a mission to educate and engage locals and university students to learn about the Cajun language and the culture that has long been embedded in Louisiana. These programs not only help students learn the Cajun dialect but also give them the opportunity to understand the significance of the culture that surrounds the language. Languages are living and are under constant change as the needs of society change. It’s important for languages to be documented and preserved so that future generations will be able to understand their history and connect with the past cultures.
Karey Boland is a senior at Lander University majoring in English. Outside of school, she’s a recorded gospel singer and music leader at her home church. She also creates monthly newsletters and social planning calendars for different ministries within her church. She’s self-employed in hospice care and enjoys a variety of outdoor activities.