Do you know anyone who speaks fluent Cajun and/or Louisianan-French? Or is it pretty much a dead language now? (New Orleans: high school, university)

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by rcp11889

I don't speak "cajun" french but I consider myself a French speaker of Louisiana. Although the language cant be heard too often, there is a major push to bring it back with French immersion schools. Also, there is evidence that the next generation of young people are starting to bring it back. In New Orleans, I've heard people speaking french and met french speakers but they were either a. french immigrants b. products of french immersion (not cajun french) or c. just happen to speak french. I live in New Orleans so i dont know too many cajuns but out of my close circle of friends, only like 3 or 4 do not speak french. I don't know if that's normal in other parts of the country though.

I thought that French immersion failed? I would LOVE to speak French with other Louisianians on a daily basis but I feel I'm too old to learn it fluently.

[xpxexaxcxex]

Canada does a fantastic job keeping French alive outside of Quebec.
Many Canadians in New Brunswick and Newfoundland speak French.
Which is where the Cajuns can trace there ancestry, by the way.

I think knowing another language broadens the world for you.

I speak Dutch via Afrikaans (one of my parents is white South African). I recall vacationing in Aruba, where they speak "Dutch". It was a Dutch dialect I never heard, and I am more of a Afrikaans speaker, than a Dutch speaker.
It was a struggle to understand (think of an American English speaker having a conversation with someone with a strong Jamaican accent. Yes, they are speaking English, but it might takes listening to understand them. That is what it was like for me in Aruba)
But I found it fun exercising my Dutch-speaking muscle. I also had co-worker years ago who I thought was Indian. She ended up being Surinamese (where they speak Dutch as well). We would have fun speaking together in her Surinamese Dutch and I, in Afrikaans.

I'd imagine the French would have the same fun talking to a Cajun.
However the Parisians can be a snobbish and even scoff at Quebec French. As not "true" French.

I guess us English speakers (and Dutch speakers) see it differently. We tend to love talking to Australians, New Zealanders, Irish, Canadians and learn how they pronounce things, local slang, etc.
I dunno, my opinion.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by xpxexaxcxex

Canada does a fantastic job keeping French alive outside of Quebec.
Many Canadians in New Brunswick and Newfoundland speak French.
Which is where the Cajuns can trace there ancestry, by the way.

.

Whether or not Canada does a fantastic job keeping French alive outside of Quebec is a matter of some debate in Canada.

In any event, it is not true that many people in Newfoundland speak French. And it is not the traditional home of Acadians (ancestors of the Cajuns). In Newfoundland probably only 1 or 2 percent of the population speaks French.

In New Brunswick - now you are talking. 250,000 of the 800,000 people, or about a third, of the people there are French speaking.

The actual original Acadia was in present-day Nova Scotia. Today there are about 50,000 French-speaking Acadians there, or about 5% of the total population.

The reason there are way more in New Brunswick is that when the deportation (from Nova Scotia) happened around 1755, many Acadians sought refuge in New Brunswick. And Louisiana of course.

[Neworleansisprettygood]

I'm part Cajun by way of my mom's side but can't speak a word of Cajun French, other than repeating song lyrics.

I went to the same high school as RCP and took Spanish because I thought it would be more useful. I really do need to learn some French though, nothing impresses women more than casually speaking to somebody in a foreign language.

[rcp11889]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

I thought that French immersion failed? I would LOVE to speak French with other Louisianians on a daily basis but I feel I'm too old to learn it fluently.

I can't speak for other parishes, but immersion is generally booming in orleans. There are long waitings lists for the brand new lycee francais and plans for french immersion high schools. my brother is about to be paid by the state government to teach english in france for a year as part of a new training louisiana residents to be french immersion teachers rather than hire foreign teachers. It's definitely growing and many more people are looking into it these days.

[annie_himself]

That's great to hear. More parishes should join.

[rcp11889]

Yeah the immersion program is growing (not as much) in lafayette and other parishes. I think there's a state mandate to try and make every parish in South Louisiana have atleast one immersion school by 2015 or something like that.

[annie_himself]

I bet EBR residents would oppose it.

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

I bet EBR residents would oppose it.

Trying to pick a fight , Annie ?

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by mhounit

Trying to pick a fight , Annie ?

There's some validity my statement. I have a hard time believing EBR residents would want to add a immersion program to the schools, pay for it through already high taxes, and most of the people here don't even have strong Cajun, Cajun French, or Creole French ties. Parishes such as Terrebonne, Lafayette, Orleans, Iberia, and Acadia would embrace it easier I'm sure.
What is your stance?