Cajun French
| Cajun French | |
|---|---|
| français cadien/français cadjin | |
| Native to | Louisiana |
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Native speakers
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26,000 (2010 census) |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | caju1236 |
| Linguasphere | 51-AAA-hp |
All varieties of French in Louisiana, including Cajun. Parishes marked in yellow are those where 4–10% of the population speak French or Louisiana French at home, orange 10–15%, red 15–20%, brown 20–30%.
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Cajun French (French: français cadien/français cadjin) (commonly called Louisiana Regional French, and related to but distinct from the historical Colonial, or Plantation Society, French) is a variety of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern parishes. The Cajuns assimilated the Colonial Louisiana French dialect, but many mistakenly label the latter dialect as "Cajun French". Significant populations of Louisianians, descended from European, African, and Native American ancestors, continue to speak those varieties of French. Parishes in which these dialects are still found include but are not limited to Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Pointe Coupée, Vermillion, and other parishes of Southern Louisiana.
Cajun French is derived from the mixing of Acadian French with the original French spoken by French soldiers and settlers in Louisiana before the arrival of the Acadians. The language incorporates words of African, Spanish, Native American and English origin, unknown in Acadian French. Areas of the state that have almost no population of Acadian origin speak a French that is to some degree mutually comprehensible with the French spoken in areas that the population is heavily of Acadian origin.
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Wikipedia