Cajun French

Cajun [ keidʒn̩ ], French: Cadien, is the western French dialect of the Cajuns who live in Cajun Country in south Louisiana (USA).

The French-born Cajuns were from 1756 to 1763 from the eastern Canadian province of Acadia, which was in 1713 became British, expelled by the British after their victory against France in the French and Indian War and settled from 1765 to the present territory of the State of Louisiana. This occupies only a fraction of the area that the French colony of Louisiana was formed since the end of the 17th century, named in honor of Louis XIV so. The defeat of France also had the consequence that it Louisiana in 1763 sold to Spain, which continues to the French influenced colony dominated almost four decades until Napoleon Bonaparte regained in 1800. But since proved to be a return to French colonial empire quickly as illusory, he already sold Louisiana in 1803 re: the young United States of America.

Because of their origin, the Cajuns call today as Acadiens and their language in the shortening as Cadien or Cadjin. Cajun is an Anglicization of this name.

In the U.S. the past, children who spoke Cajun French at school, often punished and ridiculed because of their faulty hard Englischs and despised as a hillbilly. Only in the 1970s, Cajuns were in their efforts to preserve their own culture and language, support from the government. French is since by the state agency CODOFIL ( Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) promoted. The census of 2000 showed that 194,000 residents of Louisiana Cajun French speaking.

Clearly marked are the Cajun dialects by the English-speaking environment. Thus, in general, many anglicisms are used. Often anglisierende spellings of French words are observed. For example, from the English " Let the good times roll" ( Enjoy life ) in Cadien " Les le bon ton rouller " instead of French " les bons temps rouler Laisse ".