By Chantal K. Saucier
As a French-speaking Acadian now living in Louisiana, I cannot count the number of times I have heard Cajuns make comments such as "I don't speak good French" or "my French is broken" even "I can't really speak French like you, I speak Cajun French".
Over the years, I have met people so ashamed of their French that they would not use it in my presence. Despite my insistence to use French (knowing they spoke it, too), their replies always came in English.
Louisiana residents and Cajuns alike usually attribute this shame to the fact that for decades French was illegal in schools and young Cajuns were punished and sometimes beaten for speaking the only language they knew. We all know the stories, but it does not stop there.
After CODOFIL was founded, imported French teachers continued the Cajun-French-bashing in classrooms, telling young Cajuns they had to unlearn the "bad" French they knew from home before they could learn the "good" French they were here to teach. Where those teachers came from is quite irrelevant at this point, however, their message was clear.
While the Cajun-French-is-bad brainwashing is said to be out of the schools, in the press, local and national, the story hasn't changed much over the years.
Examples of Cajun French denigration can be found in Anglo newspapers and magazine from just about as far back as you can go, to as recently as 2001.
On March 8th, the Daily Iberian published a story ("Author Features New Iberia in New Book") about writer Michael Pinchot, a California resident whose next book, entitled "Panamanian Tundra," features New Iberia's Cajun culture.
I have no idea what knowledge of the French language Pinchot has as a Sioux Fall native and a California resident, who happened to spend 23 months in New Iberia. But, judging from his disrespectful (plagiarized?) comment, I'd say it is probably not much.
In short, reporter Kacy A. Watts quoted Pinchot as saying: "Cajun French has as much to do with Parisian French as a claw hammer has to do with poetry."
This is not only false, it's insulting to the people who do speak Cajun French. That Pinchot laughed at the thought, as Watts chose to report, only makes them both obviously totally insensitive to the issue at hand.
Something that needs pointing out as well is that Pinchot's quote can be found almost word for word in a Time magazine article published in 1985 by journalist Gregory Jaynes. His erroneous observation was that "Cajun French has about as much in common with the French language as a claw hammer has with poetry".
Pinchot not only has poor knowledge of French, but possibly poor ethics? Or maybe Watts forgot to properly attribute the quote? Regardless, it is just as insulting today as it was in 1985.
Another example on how Cajun French is sometimes compared could be found in the Times of Acadiana last week.
In an article titled "The Travels of Magellan Breaux", writer Josh Caffery said that "Cajun songs are harder to understand than Parisian French for your average francophone."
Would someone care to define "average francophone" for me?
Before moving to Louisiana, I lived in French Africa, Quebec and Acadie (New Brunswick, Canada). French is my first language and I understand well all its variation be it Cajun, Parisian, Acadian, Quebecer, standard, international French, or whatever else you wish to call it. French is French and when you insult any variation, you insult all French-speakers.
I, along with many Cajuns, would really appreciate to know why the Anglo media is persisting at comparing Cajun French to other French, namely Parisian French? Do they even know that only 1 in 7 French-speakers in the world is actually "Parisian"?
Besides, Cajuns should not be expected to speak Parisian French any more than Americans are expected to speak the Queen's English. Anyone who is not historically or geographically challenged can perceive that much.
Cajun French has absolutely nothing to do with claw hammers, except maybe that they're called "marteau" in both Cajun French and Parisian French.
To all of you who speak Cajun French, please don't stop for it is not only "easily" understood by the "average francophone" (whatever that means), it is the most beautiful and colorful French I know: de la vrai poésie!
Comments of Josh Caffery about this article
