How many people speak Cajun French in La (Lafayette, Alexandria: home, schools)

[High Springs Gator]

Does anyone have any idea. I am sure Katrina did nothing to keep it alive sinse so many people were forced to move out of state.

[1nicecouple]

There used to be a considerable population of Cajun French speakers in/around Lafayette. At least I used to hear alot!Google is your friend for exact numbers.

[momlady530]

Originally Posted by High Springs Gator

Does anyone have any idea. I am sure Katrina did nothing to keep it alive sinse so many people were forced to move out of state.

Cajun French started to die out shortly after WWII. My dad, a baby-boomer, spoke only French until he went to school. The schools discouraged students from speaking French. Subsequently, the language almost died out. Many older people still speak French, especially in smaller towns. My dad still speaks to his father, aunts, uncles, and older cousins in French. What the state has done recently is implement a French Immersion program, where young schoolchildren are taught in both French and English. Of course, it isn't Cajun French. My sisters have gone through the program and are fluent in French, though they don't speak it outside the classroom. Most younger people, especially in cities such as Lafayette, wouldn't be caught dead speaking French. I believe it may be different in the smaller towns though.

[D-Beau]

I wish I could speak french. I'm of French ancestory. My grandpa's parents spoke french and my moms aunt spoke French and that's all she spoke unless she was talking to us. But it was never passed down nor did anyone want to learn it. So the french language is basically gone in my family now and I can't learn it by myself. It wasn't cajun french though. Anyway, the answers above given is about right. Lafayette

[gypsylife]

I hear it a lot in Welsh and Jennings. A mexican friend of mine came for a visit and ran to the local Wal-Mart for some things. I rolled when he came back laughing telling me "now I know how you folk feel when us mexicans are rattling to you. I couldn't understand A WORD!!! " He had ran into some Cajuns with a sense of humor. LOL
I am lucky enough to be among people that have deemed it necessary that I learn Cajun French, and are trying their best to teach me. I'm afraid that it is a lost cause on this Redneck Cedar Chopper tongue
but I'll keep trying....

[Drouzin]

Check out this site: Council for the Development of French in Louisiana - Home Page if you are interested in Cajun French. They are trying to undo the damage that was done to the language with this program. Despite the popularity of Cajun culture now, there was a time when Cajuns were viewed as backward country hicks and were much maligned by those who were more "Americanized."

My grandparents were made to feel ashamed because they spoke French. Dad once told me that Grandad was embarrassed because of his accent. They could remember when Coon A** was used as an insult for Cajuns, and not just a bumper sticker. The marriage of my Cajun Grandmother to my "English" Grandfather caused a bit of a ruckus amongst Grandad's family back in the 1920's. I am told that Mom's "English" Grandfather expressed his disappointment in her father's marrying beneath the family standard. My mother and her classmates were spanked in school when they slipped up and spoke in French back in the 1930's (my Grandmother's family spoke no English so Mom picked it up from them).

Eunice is a good place to visit if you are wanting to find Cajun French spoken.

Edit: Oh, forgot to mention the site listed above gives you the numbers of French speaking persons in Louisiana, a little under 200,000.

[momlady530]

Originally Posted by Drouzin

Check out this site: Council for the Development of French in Louisiana - Home Page if you are interested in Cajun French. They are trying to undo the damage that was done to the language with this program. Despite the popularity of Cajun culture now, there was a time when Cajuns were viewed as backward country hicks and were much maligned by those who were more "Americanized."

My grandparents were made to feel ashamed because they spoke French. Dad once told me that Grandad was embarrassed because of his accent. They could remember when Coon A** was used as an insult for Cajuns, and not just a bumper sticker. The marriage of my Cajun Grandmother to my "English" Grandfather caused a bit of a ruckus amongst Grandad's family back in the 1920's. I am told that Mom's "English" Grandfather expressed his disappointment in her father's marrying beneath the family standard. My mother and her classmates were spanked in school when they slipped up and spoke in French back in the 1930's (my Grandmother's family spoke no English so Mom picked it up from them).

Eunice is a good place to visit if you are wanting to find Cajun French spoken.

Edit: Oh, forgot to mention the site listed above gives you the numbers of French speaking persons in Louisiana, a little under 200,000.

My dad was spanked in school as well for speaking French, and this was in the 1950's. My parents spoke French to each other when they didn't want me to understand what they were saying, so I picked it up fairly quickly. My Dad was from Church Point and I know many of his older relatives still speak French. The interesting this is the different dialects from one town to another. My dad's French is different from the French my maternal grandma spoke around St. Martinville/Breaux Bridge.

[Drouzin]

Mom has always said that she doesn't remember how to speak French, but every now and then she graces us with some phrase or another. When I was little she used to talk to the cats in French, but insisted that she didn't remember a thing. So I am basically Frenchless (is that a word?)

Mom's mother was from Bazile, and Dad's people are from Thibodaux/Raceland, so I know what you mean by different dialects. One group says boudin with an emphasis on the n and the other kinda leaves off the n.

[Chinolala]

They speak it in Cut Off, LA

[RmafAlex]

Many still speak French in Avoyelles Parish to the southeast of Alexandria.