Language Shift in the Coastal Marshes of Louisiana (Studies in Ethnolinguistics) - Hardcover

Rottet, Kevin J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0820449806 ISBN 13: 9780820449807

Publisher: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2001

Synopsis

Throughout the twentieth century numerous ethnic cultures and languages have been threatened by increasing globalization. French Louisiana, a vibrant and diverse region that has been culturally and linguistically distinct from its neighbors for over two centuries, has not been spared this trend. Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, which comprise the coastal marsh area, have been described as strongholds of tradition, in which large numbers of people have continued to speak Cajun French. Yet a closer examination reveals that widespread bilingualism is drawing to a close, with very few young people able to speak French at all. This book examines the intergenerational decline of French in the coastal marsh area, including changes taking place in the structure of the language in what appears to be its terminal phase.

About this title

About the Author:

The Author: Kevin J. Rottet is Assistant Professor of French at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He earned his doctorate in French linguistics and general linguistics at Indiana University in 1995. Since then, Dr. Rottet has authored and co-authored a number of articles on French in North America and Louisiana, and he is co-author of Dictionary of Louisiana Creole.

About this edition

• Publisher: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0820449806
• ISBN 13: 9780820449807
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 302