Louisiana French
| Louisiana French | |
|---|---|
| français louisianais | |
| Native to | Louisiana |
|
Native speakers
|
150,000 to 200,000 (2012) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
Blue indicates Louisiana parishes where French is spoken as of 2011. In total, 7% of Louisianans speak French.
|
|
Louisiana French (French: français de la Louisiane, Louisiana Creole: françé la lwizyàn) refers to the group of French dialects spoken in the U.S. state of Louisiana and formerly elsewhere in colonial Lower Louisiana. It comprises several distinct varieties. Figures from the United States Census report that roughly 3.5% of Louisianans over the age of 5 reported speaking French or a French-based creole in their homes. 7% of the population of the state understands and/or speaks French.
The most widely spoken form of Louisiana French is Colonial French, also known as Louisiana French-Choctaw of the Louisiana Creole people. It developed before the arrival of Acadian migrants during the Great Upheaval of the 18th century. Additionally, Louisiana Creole French is a related creole language.
Speakers of Louisiana French are not only the French Creole people but also the Chitimacha, Houma, Biloxi, Tunica, Choctaw, Cajun, Acadian and the French among others. Individuals and groups of individuals, through innovation, adaptation and contact, continually enrich the French language spoken in Louisiana, seasoning it with linguistic features sometimes only found in Louisiana.
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Wikipedia