Cajun French Language – Keeping It Alive
Feb 1st, 2009 | By admin | Category: Cajun French Language
If you are a Cajun French baby boomer, or younger generation, it’s likely that you grew up with parents or grandparents who spoke the Cajun French Language. Chances are you grew up like me and were exposed to much of this language. I can remember hearing them speak and wishing I understood what they were saying. As it were, that was their intention. When they spoke Cajun French around me, it was because the didn’t want me to understand. Later, I realized that many of my friends grew up in similar environments.
Somewhere between these three generations, our language, the core of our heritage, seems to have lost ground. Few Baby boomers have picked it up. Fewer are fluent. The Gen-X’ers are less fluent. And the Millienials… I haven’t met any who speak the language outside of local catch phrases like Laizzes les bon temps rouler. The following table outlines the percentage of Cajun French speaking people in Louisiana, as of Febreuary, 2008.
Ranked by percentage French-speaking population (over 5% only)
| Name of parish | Total population 5 and over | French-speaking population 5 and over | % French-speaking | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana total | 4,152,122 | 194,115 | 4.66% | |
| St. Martin | 44,779 | 12,290 | 27.44% |  |
| Evangeline | 32,454 | 8,345 | 25.71% |  |
| Vermilion | 49,842 | 12,410 | 24.89% |  |
| Lafourche | 83,518 | 15,984 | 19.12% |  |
| Acadia | 54,114 | 10,310 | 19.04% |  |
| Avoyelles | 38,468 | 6,789 | 17.64% |  |
| Assumption | 21,713 | 3,819 | 17.58% |  |
| St. Landry | 80,668 | 13,475 | 16.70% |  |
| Jefferson Davis | 28,844 | 4,660 | 16.15% |  |
| Lafayette | 176,051 | 25,300 | 14.37% |  |
| Iberia | 67,374 | 8,089 | 11.99% |  |
| Cameron | 9,279 | 1,075 | 11.57% |  |
| Terrebonne | 96,309 | 10,275 | 10.66% |  |
| Allen | 23,571 | 1,468 | 6.22% |  |
| Calcasieu | 169,745 | 10,170 | 5.98% |  |
| St. Mary | 49,345 | 2,685 | 5.43% |  |
Data provided by Wikipedia
There’s Still Hope
If you’ve noticed, we’ve categorized this post under “destinations.” Why? Because we believe you should click over to Jim Leger’s blog, where he’s working hard to keep the cajun french language alive. If you are interested in learning the language, we’d like to point you to this wonderful, free service he’s offering.
A Quote From Jim’s Blog
My name is James Leger (call me Jim). I am a 67 year old native of Louisiana and i give free tutorials and advice for those interested in the Cajun language. I also discuss customs and history related to the Cajun heritage, and would be happy to entertain your questions.
I taught Cajun French in Lamar University’s Continuing Education program in Port Arthur, Texas. I was raised with Cajun French as my first language. I speak fluent Cajun French and can speak and read standard French as well.
I plan to talk about how the Cajun language has been mistaken as a crude form of standard French, as well as other misconceptions about the language. Cajun French is actually a very complicated language, and has both formal and informal conversational dialogues. I will show you both the similarities and differences in standard and Cajun French, and many other characteristics of the Cajun language that you probably never knew!
Sign Up Today
We’ve signed up for Jim’s cajun french language lessons. Although we have a lot of ground to make up, we are very optimistic. Thank you very much, Jim. You’re providing a wonderful service to the community.
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It was my privilege that my son sent me the link to Jim Leger’s Cajun tutorial. I have learned so much by listening to his lessons and attempting to get his tests all correct.
Jim, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for spending hours upon hours teaching nouns, pronouns, and the correct way to speak our Cajun French language.
I am building my native vocabulary slowly but surely by going to your website. Without the knowledge and patience you give the world, how would anyone know our secret language.
Thank you once again.
Judy
My grandmother was sent home from school because she only spoke French. The state spent tons of money and effort to eradicate the language only to now be trying to save it by teaching it in school. Pretty sad.
Fortunately, I have a number of Gen X friends who are fluent. I hope they are passing it on to their own children, as it was passed to my mother by my grandmother.
A very good post and certainly these are points really useful.
My grandpa is also a Baby Boomer and we love him a lot..`:
my grandfather is also a baby boomer and he is also a war veteran:,.
I’ve actually been gobbling up Jim Leger’s tutorials and my husband and daughter are giving me the Cajun Self Taught bundle package for my birthday this month. I’m so excited. My mother is fluent in CF but we never learned as children (what a pity). I don’t want my mother to pass away one day and my family’s heritage lost. I currently live in Minnesota and there is noone to talk to here. My husband and daughter are not interested in learning since they are true northerners. My mother was very surprised when I called her and I had made up a couple of sentences regarding current events in our family. She understood most but corrected the rest. It is really bringing my long distance relationship with my Mama alot closer and helps me with being lonesome by just hearing the CF spoken. I CANNOT THANK JIM ENOUGH!
Can anyone tell me how to say the following words in cajun french? could, would, should, could have, would have, should have, could’nt, wouldn’t, and shouldn’t.