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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Lafayette in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
 

School House

L'école

 
 
School House Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, February 9, 2019
1. School House Marker
Inscription.
School House:
Banning of the French Language

L'école is a reproduction of a typical schoolhouse of the late 1800s. In southwest Louisiana, French was the dominant language until the mid-1900s. Native Americans along with Spanish, German, African, and English arrivals and their descendants learned to speak French to conduct business and socialize with neighbors. In the 1910s, new laws banned the French language in schools as an attempt to Americanize the non-English speaking population. The lines "I will not speak French” on the blackboard recall that time period.

CAJUN AND CREOLE FRENCH DIALECTS:
What are the Differences?

In southwest Louisiana, Creole and Cajun French dialects are distinct. Creole French borrows vocabulary and grammar from West African (especially Senegambian) and American Indian languages, and is distinct from the Creole languages of the French-speaking Caribbean islands. As such, the Louisiana Creole dialect represents an important linguistic legacy of the African diaspora in the Americas. In contrast, Cajun French incorporates an French dialect from the 1700s and is different from modern continental French. Both Cajun and Creole French use many expressions unique to southwest Louisiana. distinct.

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L'ÉCOLE:
L'Interdiction

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de la langue française

C'est une reproduction d'une école typique de la fin des années 1800. Au sud-ouest de la Louisiane, le français était la langue dominante jusqu'au milieu des années 1900. Les Amérindiens, ainsi que les immigrants allemands, africains, espagnols ou anglais et leurs descendants ont appris à parler le français pour des affaires et socialiser avec les voisins. Dans les années 1910, de nouvelles lois ont interdit la langue française dans les écoles dans une tentative d'américaniser la population non anglophone. Les lignes « I will not speak French » (Je ne parlerai pas français) sur le tableau noir rappelle cette période.

LES DIALECTES DES FRANÇAIS CADIENS ET CRÉOLES:
Quelles sont les différences?

Au sud-ouest de la Louisiane, les dialectes des français créoles et cadiens sont distincts. Le français créole emprunte le vocabulaire et la grammaire de l'Ouest africain (surtout la Sénégambie) et des langues amérindiennes et se distingue des langues créoles des îles des Caraibes d'expression française. De ce fait, le dialecte créole en Louisiane représente un élément important de l'héritage linguistique de la diaspora africaine dans les Amériques. En revanche, le français cadien intègre un dialecte français des années 1700 et se différencie du français moderne continental. Le français cadien et le créole

School House Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, February 9, 2019
2. School House Marker
utilisent de nombreuses expressions uniques au sud-ouest de la Louisiane.

Side Bar

Many rural pockets of Creole and Cajun French-speaking communities continue to exist in southern Louisiana, and the region remains one of the only places in the U.S. where the native population speaks distinct French dialects. Both Creole and Cajun dialects are in danger of becoming extinct as younger generations speak English predominantly. Nonetheless, there is growing interest for French among young people. Since 1968, the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) has promoted the speaking of French language, and the preservation of both Creole and Cajun cultures.
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De nombreuses poches rurales des communautés cadiennes et créoles de langue française continuent d'exister dans le sud de la Louisiane et la région reste un des seuls endroits aux États-Unis où la population locale parle des dialectes de français distincts. Ces dialectes sont en danger de s'éteindre car les jeunes générations parlent anglais principalement. Néanmoins, il y a un intérêt croissant parmi la jeunesse d'apprendre et de parler français. Depuis 1968, le Conseil pour le développement du français en Louisiane (CODOFIL) a favorisé l'expression de la langue

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française et nd la préservation des cultures créoles et cadiennes.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education.
 
Location. 30° 12.92′ N, 91° 59.696′ W. Marker is in Lafayette, Louisiana, in Lafayette Parish. Marker can be reached from Fisher Road near Surrey Street (State Road 728-8). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Fisher Road, Lafayette LA 70508, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mouton House (a few steps from this marker); Mouton Kitchen (within shouting distance of this marker); Beau Bassin House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Forge (within shouting distance of this marker); Acadian House (within shouting distance of this marker); Bayou Vermilion District (within shouting distance of this marker); Buller House (within shouting distance of this marker); Trappers Cabin & Boat Shed (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lafayette.
 
More about this marker. Located on the grounds of the Vermilionville Heritage Museum, Admission required.
 
Also see . . .  Vermilionville. Museum website homepage (Submitted on June 7, 2019, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2019, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 325 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2019.

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Mar. 29, 2024