Cajun English
This article targets those who do not know Cajun English and Cajun people. It gives a detailed explanation of the composition of Cajun English. The report also provides a brief history of Cajun people settling in their present location. I am of the thought that the abstract is written with coherent, flowing ideas and arguments. Chronological order of events including authors own observations of Cajun English is commendable. It gives a brief history of the composition of Cajun dialect, something that the author describes as ingredients that flavor the speech of French Louisiana, giving birth to Cajun English. Looking at the current state of the language, I am convinced that Cajun dialect, although affected by a new culture and probable erosion, has stood the test of time and is not likely to disappear any time soon. This is because the older generation teaches the younger generation thereby ensuring its continued existence. The author was successful in making me feel that this is the best article any learner should turn to when learning Cajun English.
Summary
This essay explains the origin, and influence of a strong French culture in the development of Cajun English as a dialect of American English. The article describes how different languages (Canary Island, Spanish, Germany, and English) blended to influence, and spice up the speech of French Louisiana to produce Cajun English. Additionally, the article provides an overview of the origin of Cajuns, their assimilation into English culture, characteristic of Cajun English as well as the current state of the dialect.
Cajun English is a variety of English dialect spoken mostly in Louisiana which shows a strong influence of the French language. Cajuns are descendants of French who moved to the Louisiana region due to war between the French, and the English. A friendship grew between Cajun and the Native Americans. Consequently, the Cajuns were allowed to live in peace for a period. Later the British moved into the area forcing people of French origin to pay allegiance to the British government — those who failed to do so faced deportation to various coastlines of American colonies. As a result, many isolated French cultures exist across most parts of the present-day United States including Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Mine. Others were deported to regions as far as Haiti and Guadeloupe. The Cajuns were feared by their English-speaking neighbors in the American colonies making them seek and create isolated colonies to practice their culture including religion and language.
In a broader perspective, the Cajun have extensively been able to maintain their language. French heavily influenced the language acquired by Cajun for trading and commercial purposes. Cajun English is also affected by the dialect of other ethnic groups living in the region including Spanish speaking Islenos, German, and Irish immigrants, the Native Americans, and African slaves. Introduction of schooling and establishment of English as the official language, compounded with mass media has led to a reduced number of French speakers significantly promoting English. Currently, English, just like French, is a part of their culture and has increasingly overtaken and influenced many of the sociocultural aspects of the Cajun people.
Cajun English, although made up of many different dialects, has various stand out features. Distinctively, the dialect has five elements that stand out: vowel pronunciation, stress changes, lexical differences, and lack of the /the/ phonemes and no aspiration of /p/. Cajuns speak very fast, and their vocal differences are both quantitative and qualitative. The qualitative difference which is the difference between Standard English and Cajun English is easily identifiable. The quantitative difference means changes in their vocal differences cut across and are nonrandom in their speech. Intonation and stress are also stand out features in Cajun English. The older Cajun passed over their language to the younger generation who were using it for socio-economic purposes, and the syllable stress still exists in the speech of Cajuns. Standard English speakers mostly exhale when pronouncing certain consonants. Cajun people do not exhale while pronouncing some word, a feature mostly associated with French language. Despite being discriminated and stigmatized over the years, the Cajun still exist in large numbers. Those who currently speak the dialect are regarded as insiders and custodians of the community. The language is slowly dying, but it is well documented through the youngest Cajun descendants. Walking around in the locality, you will hear a lot of them speak Cajun English. For one to be considered as a Cajun, he or she must be able to fluently speak Cajun English with well-structured and meaningful sentences. In most parts of the world, the culture dies when those associated with it dies, however, for the Cajun there is a clear distinction between them and their neighbors making it easier to preserve their culture and dialect. With recent changes including media, education, and constitution, the Cajun still have a considerable interest in their language and culture ensuring its survival for many generations to come.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Cajun is the relationship that existed between the them and the Native Americans. It is observed that they were allowed to live there over some time before they were forced to accept the British government or face deportation. Several factors could be used to explain this. The Cajun may have finally found the elusive peace, and economic prosperity they had been looking for which is why they eventually chose to stay harmoniously with their neighbors. The possibility of the existence of economic factors such as trade that ensured their peaceful stay, albeit for a shorter time, or maybe some of them were tired of moving from place to place. This could also explain why when the British came, they prolonged their stay and pledged allegiance to the British government. When we are forced to accept a rule that we are not comfortable with, the visible reaction is to rebel. In rebelling and getting deported to different states, their culture is surely afloat though not to a more significant extent in some States of the present-day the United States. Some Cajuns who were deported for not accepting the British government are a clear example of defiance to a newly imposed rule. Naturally, if I found a peaceful place, I want to be there and grow in such a society, and any interference by the intrusion of anybody will face rejection from me.
According to the author, some of the reasons for Cajun living in isolation included: fear of some of their English speaking neighbors in the American colonies to interact or share religion with them, this way they could freely practice their religion and culture which is then transferred to their children without the influence of other communities around them. They also taught the native language to their children. I think that their way of living in isolated communities was ingenious. In my opinion, a peaceful society is an ideal place for growth and development. Transfer of language is made more comfortable in a society where people share the same dialect with minimal or no interference or influence from outside, and the children have a good time mastering the dialect.
I concur with the author that the Cajun English is affected by the interaction of Cajun by other ethnic groups around them including the Germans, Irish, Native Americans, and African immigrants. Most interactions are through economic activities like trade and social gatherings. The constitution of Louisiana 1921 also provides that English is to be taught in schools and used as the official language. Together with mass media, this law introduced the Cajun to a different dialect and culture which they now have to adopt. English is now a part of them as much as French and is overtaking much sociocultural heritage of Cajun. Despite its innumerable benefits and impact on our present-day society, mass media has a bad influence in the world today in the form of music, print media, movies, and documentaries and plays a vital role in the acquisition and transfer of culture globally. We will hope that custodians of dialect do not get assimilated into another.
I observe that the Cajuns still exists in significant numbers despite discrimination, abuse, and stigmatization over the years. That Cajun dialect which is considered inferior still survives. The survival of Cajun English is attributed to their strong will that their dialect must not be eroded by other culture. Cajuns determination to survive is also evident in their resistance to recognizing the British government and facing deportation. The Cajun are always fighting to give their language and dialect the importance they believe it should have.
It is evident that the author puts out the pronunciation of words in Cajun dialect. The author points out five distinctive features of Cajun English including stress changes, vowel pronunciation, lexical differences, and lack of /ph/ phonemes and non-aspiration of /p/, /k/ and /t/. Due to the features in Cajun English, the Cajun people talk very fast. Their vocal difference is also classified as qualitative or quantitative for easy identification. People find their intonation funny. The stress that they put in their language while speaking shows massive borrowing from French even though they don’t talk to French currently. Their French origin and its effects on their dialect cannot be underestimated.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear to me that Cajun English is a dialect that has stood the test of time. Cajun have jealously guarded their dialect through tough times ensuring dialects continued existence in the face of discrimination and influence from outside culture. The reader also observes that there is the passage of the vernacular from one generation to the other. The older generation teaches children the language. In my opinion, Cajun English is to be protected by not only the Cajun but also the government.
Work cited
https://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/cajun/