posts in english about french language and identity in louisiana
From the moment I landed in Halifax for the Congrès Mondial Acadien, French was visibly present. On the airport signage, on the snack packaging, on the restroom doors. Gaston Saulnier, who works for the Nova Scotian Office of Acadian and … Continue reading En Acadie, French is More Than a Party Trick
ABOUT CREOLE (yet again) Based on my own experience and journey into understanding the complexity of this question, I must say that I would NEVER have arrived at any semblance of clarity if I did not speak French. Because we live in a majority English-speaking environment and because EVERYONE generally identifies as “American,” there are some specific concepts for which most people *do not* have reference points : 1) assimilation 2) language as a criterion for minority status 3) linguistic identity 4) linguistic rights In 19th century Louisiana, there were two main identities* : 1) Creole (French & Creole speakers, including the descendants of Acadian exiles) … Continue reading About Creole (yet again)
I contributed this article to the travel blog Backroad Planet. Read it here : https://backroadplanet.com/acadian-exile-louisiana-creoles-cajun-branding/ Continue reading The Acadian Exile, Louisiana Creoles, and the Rise of Cajun Branding
To understand the Creole world of the River Road plantation families, it is important to imagine Louisiana at a time in which English-speaking Americans were seen as immigrants and foreigners by the pre-existing Native American, European (mainly French and Spanish, … Continue reading A Primer on the Evolution of Creole Identity in Louisiana
How many times have you heard someone say that people in Louisiana speak “broken” French? Have you ever wondered how or why it came to be referred to as such? This short article will attempt to explain the ways in … Continue reading Language acquisition versus language learning: French and Creole Heritage Language Loss in Louisiana as a Result of Contextual & Situational Erosion
QCBF : Quoi C’est Beausoleil Ferait / WWBD : What Would Beausoleil Do He’s become a larger than life figure in Acadian and Cajun folklore, that bougre Joseph “Beausoleil” Broussard. On one side, he’s revered as a resistance fighter hell-bent … Continue reading QCBF / WWBD
This illustration of French and Creole language erosion in Louisiana can be compared to coastal erosion. With no trans-contextual maintenance of the language(s) or development of applicable uses, the “new francophones” who will emerge from French immersion school environments will … Continue reading franco-créolophone linguistic erosion in louisiana
I was asked several times to comment on the recent NY Times article, “In Louisiana, Desire for a French Renaissance,”published on 15 February 2015. It’s a subject very close to my heart and I’ve spent the last 25 years of my … Continue reading response to nyt article : february 14, 2015
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