I come from a French Canadian background on my father’s side, and an Irish Miq Maq background on my mother’s side. Born in Halifax. I speak French, and English, (along with a few other languages not pertaining to this). When I was 20, I lived in Geneva, Switzerland, and worked as an Au Paire. There I was told often that I spoke French with a Canadian accent. I have often been able to help tourists by translating the language for them. The most interesting time was when I was 18. We were in south Texas, and a couple visiting from London England came into the local convenience store. They spoke a Cockney dialect, and I translated English to English between the Texan storekeeper, and the British customers. Languages are a very great interest to me. Bonne journée.
Their French is supposed to be closest to what French was 300-400 years ago when they left France. Languages change over time, French in France has changed over the last few hundred years, but these guys still hold on to a lot of the original language. It is like a language time capsule. It is not the only Acadian dialect, but Chiac accommodate more English.
They changed at the same rate as American English evolved from the English the colonizers spoke when they colonized North America. It’s not 100% the same, but they changed like the Parisian accent changed. There are other accents in France/Europe that have similar traits to North American French.
@@W3irdAl95 Alexandra if you know anything about the history of the Acadians and their homeland of Acadia? You would know that all of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and PEI and Gaspé PQ along with the eastern part of Maine was was once all of Acadia. So if you are from Gaspé PQ you no doubt would be speaking Acadian French as the French spoken in Northern New Brunswick sounds a lot like the French in Gaspé PQ. As for the Chiac French spoken in New Brunswick it's mostly in Moncton NB and surrounding area. Moncton NB is known as the Capital of Acadia. Me personally I think it should be Caraquet NB which is a city or town in Northeastern part of NB called Acadia Peninsula, because they sound more French than the French in Moncton. P.S my French Acadian ancestors in my family came from Gaspé PQ and Tracadie NB. Don't let my Irish last name fool you as there are many McLaughlin's in that area who speak French fluently.
Madawaska, Maine(USA) has an Acadian Festival every summer and has for many years. If you want to experience an actual “old time France” visit this place at this time of year. Do it soon because the oldest generation like my grandparents who only spoke French are passing away and, so is this French language. It is not spoken much in the youngest (current) generation. This is an “antiquated”, old-time French from 200 years ago. Amazing considering these French-only speaking, elderly population are Americans! No other place in the United States has an ISOLATED French settlement like the St. John Valley (Fort Kent, Frenchville, Madawaska, St.David, Grand Isle, Van Buren).
Not all acadien speak Chiac, only in the Sud-est part of New-Brunswick (a Canadien province), principalement dans les villes de Moncton et Dieppe. If you go dans la Péninsule acadienne nord-est of New-Brunswick (Caraquet, Tracadie, etc.). Its is a different accent. If you go in the nord-ouest in Edmunston for exemple they speak Brayon, un autre accent différent.
@@neilwilson5785 In Missouri they spoke paw paw or Missouri French but this finally died about 1989. French Canadiens who mixed with merchants from New Orleans, metis. Osage and Shawnee then Anglicized
I grew up there and it was super difficult to learn French in school because our teachers all spoke different forms of French. One year, Brayon, one year Chiac, another Quebecois. I had to go to Toronto to learn to speak true French, ironically.
@@brentross9680 Brent I am a retired Bus Driver for Tours and Charters (more than 23 years) and have been from Isle Royale to Quebec City through (across Megantic) the Gaspe, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and across the Confederation Bridge. I saw many Acadian Flags as well as Celtic flags and private language schools. The accents were definitely different. I didn't realize the extent. There seemed to be a big push to re-learn heritage. And there were Acadian festivals with visitors from Louisiana. I am aware of the re-settlement of Loyalist to former Acadia farms. One of my daughters lives in Louisiana. I've been on the Pictou and Woods Hole Ferries a number of times.
My father was born on the east coast of New Brunswick in the early 1930s in a village almost entirely occupied by Acadians. His mother tongue was French but when his family moved south to the capital, he quickly became Anglicized. He said, "You could get beat up for speaking French in Fredericton in those days." As a result, I grew up speaking only English, my mother's mother tongue. I learned French as a young adult, and one of the things I remember hearing in the course of my learning was that there were nine different French dialects in New Brunswick. Another of my teachers explained that the rolled R was more common among Acadians, but that some children had trouble with it and, therefore, formed the R sound in their throats. She, her husband, and one of her sons rolled their R's but the other son couldn't do it! This could explain the difference between the Acadian couple at the beginning of the video. Also, New Brunswick and Quebec border each other, and I suspect that the closer the community is to the border, the more similar the accent is to one of those spoken in Quebec. PS The couple speak English with a French accent. I would have known they were Acadian even if they hadn't spoken French. Their accent in English is different from yours, though.
Back in the day there was a lot of nasty discrimination against francophones. I’ve heard stories of people speaking French being told to “speak white” Not only in New Brunswick but also in Northern Ontario.
I’m Franco-Ontarian and every time I visit Quebec, I’m told that my accent sounds Acadian. Particularly because the way I roll my Rs which I’ve been told is also characteristic of Northern Ontario French. The bilingual community I grew up in is also notorious for speaking Frenglish lol. Thank you for this great video! Loved it! ☺️
Similar story here. I grew up mostly anglophone, but hearing french from my mom's side of the family (older generation Quebecers). I became fairly fluent in spoken french after moving to Montreal, but my accent still raises a few eyebrows (the mixture of a sometimes anglo sometimes Quebecer accent, some of those old-school rolled Rs and the occasional bit of franglais when I blank out on a word). I've had a number of people think that I was from either Sudbury or New Brunswick when in reality, I'm just an awkward "franglo" from Toronto.
I was about to write this. Around Montreal I don’t get so much of this but when we went to Quebec City I had a few people tell me I have a Acadian accent. I find it insulting though!
Grew up in Boston, was about 8 years old when she died, but I still have aural memories of my grandmother on my mothers side. She was born, and grew up in Saulnierville NS. French was her first language, the area she grew up in on the Bay of Fundy was a 50 to 60 mile stretch from Yarmouth to Digby south to north that was, and still is predominantly French/Arcadian/Chiac speaking area. My grandmother emigrated to the US in the 1925, met my grandfather American, in Massachusetts married, mom born in 1929. I vividly remember my grandmother speaking a mixture French/English just like the husband in the first part of the video, especially when she got excited or angry. It seemed to me that she had a very deep, alto speaking voice. She did not teach my mom French, but my mom could mimic her perfectly with the same accents, and inflections. This video really brought back some fond very distant, and closer memories. My grandmothers father was adopted as a 2 year old orphan who’s mother died on the ship that carried both of them from Ireland in 1861. His adoptive family was French speaking Canadian from that town. They let him keep his original name of Duffy. He ended up marrying a cousin of family who’s name was Comeau. So my grandmother was a French speaking Canadian of Irish/French descent whom I remember fondly for double speak to my ears, and lots of spoiling and hugs. 😉
As someone else commented, Chiac usually refers to the French/ English mixture spoken around Moncton New Brunswick. I remember overhearing a guy saying “ j’suis allé pick up ma blonde at the airport. There are English and French speaking villages in this area and the dialect has been influenced by this and the historical political and economic superiority of anglophones. In the north of New Brunswick, again, as mentioned in another comment, the accent is different. It is obviously Canadian French but different from Quebec French. The ancestors of the Acadians arrived in North America independently from the Québécois. In the early 18th century they had an accommodation with the English and were known as “neutral French”. In the 1750s the English settlers in what is now the US became concerned at their increasing numbers and jealous of their economic success. They took advantage of the conflict between England and France to have them expelled from the land. This is referred to as “Le Grand Dérangement ». Many went to Louisiana. Others hid in the forests and moved north into New Brunswick where they were helped by the native First Nation inhabitants. Their descendants are now the francophone acadians of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The history of this region is fascinating.I lived there for about three years. I loved it! Vive l’Acadie!
Also the historical oppression of Francophones in Canada, especially outside Quebec. It's a miracle they even still speak much French at all, they just have to get political like in Quebec. Personally, I think it makes more sense for the bordering French communities to just join Quebec before it's too late.
@@JM-nt5ex The south and south west of New Brunswick is largely anglophone. Moncton to Miramichi is mixed or they speak Chiac. North of Miramichi is Acadian and very much independent minded and not interested in being québécois. Only the North east has much in common with Quebec. I remember Quebec people and French tourists complaining feeling unwelcome in Caraquet. Some feel that the Acadian dialect is not appreciated by speakers of “français soutenu”
@@timothyrobson3325 From what I've heard, speaking to some Acadians and Quebecois, the francophone portions of New Brunswick, and Ontario are continuing to be assimilated by the sea of Anglophones coming in and not speaking French at all, especially around Moncton, seems joining Quebec would secure these areas as solidly Francophone. Acadie will still be as much Acadie as a part of the more representative Quebec as it would be as a part of the continuously Anglicizing and settled New Brunswick, no? I would love a new perspective on this, as someone from Francophone Louisiana, which hardly exists anymore, I am very interested in how it works up there. I've heard talk of worries about "Louisianisation", which has already happened in most of Acadie.
'Cajin French comes from Acadian French. As the British expelled from their homes and land in Nova Scotia, the Acadians that wouldn't swear an oath of allegiance to the british crown in the 19th century. They were displaced to Louisiana and Australia. Families were separated indiscriminately. This Acadian French varies considerably from French dialects spoken in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and other places in Canada, (including Alberta, British Columbia and Newfoundland).
Thanks for posting this Marie even though it didn’t go as you expected. Still interesting and fun. I’m going to watch it again to see if I can get more than I got the first time.
I'm Acadian, and the first couple is actually not far from where i grew up, and the last guy actually went to my high school. Both of them I had no problem understanding, and the reason for the difference is because each village has a different accent, that explains the difference with the R between the husband and the wife, they probably grew up in neighborhood villages, so you would notice a difference, we would use the same work, but pronounce it differently. The middle video, i had trouble with, but that is because the northern part of New Brunswick has a lot of influence from Quebec and a lot of them are also dependent from the Acadians who got deported from Acadian (Now Nova Scotia) in 1755, by the British. We got scatered every where with over half the population dying. Cajuns are decendents of the survivors who made it to Louisiana. A lot excaped to Quebec amd later returned to New Brunswick, this is mostly the population we now see in the northern part of New Brunswick. The Acadians in the southern part of New Brunswick and in Nova Scotia are mostly the Acadians that hid from the British in the woods or within native villages, or who made their way to the refuge camp in New Brunswick in Miramichi. Being from the southern part of New Brunswick, i have no problem understanding Acadians from Nova Scotia, it's a very simular dialog, but have a very hard time understanding people from the northern part of my own province, almost as much as I would someone from Quebec. Acadians in Moncton and Dieppe area are influenced by living in a community where the population is about half french and half english (i believe in the pass it was more english than french), so they have a large english influence in their dialogue. i also grew up with older parents, who when they went to school, where tought in english, there where no french books provided for french speaking students in the province back in the day, so there was a large english influnce put on them as well from school. The older couple at the beginning of the video would be part of that generation as well. The Acadian history amd culture is very complicated especially for anyone who hasn't lived it, but the main reason for the variation, is caused by the Acadians being seperated and having various different influence on their language over the last 250 years.
The first couple, especially the woman, brings back memories of my Papa speaking with his cousin. All of his relatives still live in Canada. He was Acadian French.
Watch some Acadieman videos and you will see how quickly your brain adjusts to the French-English mix, which is the basis of most of the comedy in the series!
You should look up or react to "Radio Radio", which is a Chiac rap group. Their music is really good and the lyrics are funny and also easily available for reference. New Brunswick is about half French (Acadian, on east coast) and half English, but most people are bilingual. And in Moncton (main city), they developed a mixed language, Chiac, which is mostly using French grammar with lots of English words and expressions mixed into it.
The Maritimes are a great place to road trip. Cape Breton is picturesque, and Antigonish is great too. You pretty much can't go wrong driving the coast anywhere in any of the three provinces.
Even though I reside in Quebec, my whole family is from Moncton, New Brunswick and I grew up speaking Chiac. My grand parents all spoke like 'La Sagouine'.
I remember growing up with my French (European) Dad. We came home with french homework from school ( mid 1970s) and asked Dad for some help. He looked at the book and got really mad lol. He threw the book in the garbage and said we will not be learning "Newfie" French in this house. LOL
Stumbled upon this video and really enjoyed watching - hearing them, and your reactions... Acadia extends from the edge of Quebec at New Brunswick then extends east through PEI - that could be some of the differences between the speakers. I used to work with a girl who was from NB - loved listening to her talk! She was back and forth - we had a big group in that job, NB, Quebec City, Montreal, Ontario, Alberta french people - each is quite different, but the east coast, they've got a wonderful rhythm in their speech (if they were Irish, I'd call it a "lilt" but I'm not sure that's the right word).
Oh, Marie, this lovely couple is so fun to listen to! What's strange is that I understood the husband better than our English speakers down in Georgia! My first time there, I thought I was in a foreign country! Thank you for a great video!
Je suis Acadien de la partie nord du Nouveau Brunswick et notre accent n`est pas chiac et ni Québequois mais notre accent et notre parlé ressemble beaucoup au parlé francais de 500 ans passées en France. La province du Nouveau Brunswick est la seule province au Canada officiellement bilingue avec environs 350 000 francais et 450 000 anglais le chiac est surtous parlé dans le sud est du N.-B. L `accent Québequois date des années soixantes environs.Avant leurs accent ressemblais beaucoup au notre dans le nord du N.-B. L`accent que nous avons est le plus proche de se que tes ancêtres parlais en fait nous parlons encore l`ancien francais. A chaque années nous fêtons à la date du 15 Août le fait que nous parlons francais et la déportation forcée des Acadians par les Anglais de nos terres. Notre drapeau est le même que la France, mais on ajoute une étoile pour souligné le fait Acadien.
The "rolled R" is the old pronunciation of the letter R in French. Actually you can still find people even in France who pronounce it that way, but it has become very rare in France. In Quebec we still encounter a lot of people who pronounce it that way, especially among the elderly.
not trying to start a fight. Genuinely trying to keep a realistic view on the reason why. Why DON'T younger people speak like that anymore? For me, granted I'm not someone who speaks North American French, I'd imagine if it's part of the language, going based off of english, we don't suddenly try to sound like londoners. Genuinely curious
@@Ian-dn6ld I mean, as an Acadian, living in North-East of New-Brunswick (not chiac at all), a lot of the elders roll the r. But most minors, young adults, and even middle-aged people don't roll it anymore. I think it has to do partially with the education system. Sure at home you might talk with your family that way, but in school you learn to pronounce the 'standard, french from france way'. When you read out loud, when you do public presentation in front of the class... You are to write and speak in a correct/standard French (Like you'd see in the newspapers). Not necessarily literary, but at least standard. I don't think you'd lose points on a verbal exam if you rolled the r hough, it's more like saying 'pis' (insted of 'et' = and), or saying 'ça' (instead of 'cela' = it). Though, I believe that this puristic view of proper French usage and correctness makes the young more lenient towards 'standard french' than ancestral acadian dialects. Acadians use barbarisms, anglicisms, improper terms, pejorative terms, vulgar terms, badly conjugated verbs, bad uses of gender and number, contractions of prepositions and determiners, sounds replaced by others, etc. This is not tolerated in the education system. A correct/standard (formal) French must be used. The youngers also seem to just not care at all about the acadian heritage. To them, it isn't cool, in comparison with american stuff. Such as the music. Almost everyone listens to american music, or at least music in english. And when it's in French, it's mostly rap from France. That doesn't have much to do with rolling the r in particular, but overall I think it derives us more and more from the acadian dialecte from centuries ago. Just my input.
@@skyeralbert461 Thanks for the input. Even the way you describe the differences show to me a mindset that holds acadian french as being improper french - a type of inferiority complex. Even "gender" is actually something that is a construct of perception when it comes to language. There was a study where basically every language tested described those objects similarly with features that aligned with the gendered characteristics of those items. A key in german is masculine - they described it has hard and cold. In french, a key is feminine and was described as petite, delicate, shiny. What I find most uncomfortable is the way schools can not get over enforcing "proper" or "standard" pronunciations to be used even in regular conversation at school. We don't get told to speak in a london accent in the US despite it still having some sort of superior view. Neither in Canada I'd say. My school (which filters to one of the top 400 high schools in the nation (I looked it up for kicks and grins)) allowed us to speak as we grew up as long as we could show the skills to use proper/standard grammar when writing and to recognize the difference. They would clarify when something ought to be left out of formal writing vs informal writing. Formal speech vs informal. I find it irritating the way other schools even if accidentally put out this idea that the parents or grandparents who may speak that way are inferior or somehow backwoods buggards not worthy of being listened to or telling everyone they won't be taken seriously and therefore instilling that inferiority complex instead of teaching kids to be confident just like in any setting. Even the grammar situation reflects grammars that may have been popular and the prestige of a day gone by, but do not or at least should not define whether a person is worthy of being listened to. Thanks for sharing though. It's interesting to get to see into other perspectives beyond my own.
@Ian Well, I wasn't really showing my personal perspective I suppose. The sentence 'barbarisms, anglicisms, improper terms, pejorative terms, vulgar terms, badly conjugated verbs, bad uses of gender and number, contractions of prepositions and determiners, sounds replaced by others, etc' is the explanation of the Language registers (or levels); popular language. Maybe I didn't put it well, but it's how it's taught. It's also odd, it seems like a hierarchy, hence the word 'levels". It goes as followed (as explained by the education system, again, not my words): Popular language - barbarisms, anglicisms, improper terms, pejorative terms, vulgar terms, badly conjugated verbs, bad uses of gender and number, contractions of prepositions and determiners, sounds replaced by others, etc. (guernouille instead of« grenouille », s'entertenir instead of « s'entretenir ». French words that have been modified, or words that were just created from scratch (or so it seems): galance instead of « balance », ayoù instead of « où », and so on...) Familiar language - respects most of the time, the basic rules of grammar, but allows deviations that simplify the way of expressing oneself. Despite this, it remains admitted under certain conditions. It corresponds to everyday language; the one we use every day. (J'sais instead of « je sais », j't'aime instead of « je t'aime »...) Standard language - The one that should normally be used in writing for formal documents to which some importance is attached, such as letters and schoolwork. It is, among other things, commonly used on radio and television for reports, documentaries, news and, in the classroom, for oral presentations. It is also called international French because of its potential to be understood by all French speakers. Sustained or literary language - Standard language refinement. It involves the use of a richer vocabulary, more complex sentence structures, more elaborate figures of speech and the use of moods and tenses of verbs that are normally rarely used. Sustained language is hardly used orally, but heavily used in novels. Also, I'm sure if you understood that we are not allowed to speak with a popular language between classmates, but that's not the case. Popular language or familiar language is totally accepted normally. It's only when presenting documents, schoolwork, or while public speaking or oral presentations, that we are required to use a standard/correct language. I was just thinking about the fact that if you are taught at a young age how to pronounce each words and letters in standard language, well you're going to pronounce it as you've been taugth. But then again I ask myself, decades ago, centuries even, before the death of Louis-Mailloux for instance, when the schools were religious, were they taught correct language? Probably, but then why did they continue to roll the r? I suppose the young just did like the adults. I do not know. As for your 'inferiority complex' part, I cannot relate with that. It's a dialect like any other dialect, and brings a sens of uniqueness, rather than a hierarchy (althought I feel school teaches us the later sometimes, which is what I was trying to convey). Concerning improper French, well, it sort of is, isn't it? Adding English words in a French sentence is certainly not proper French. To take an english verb and to make it 'french' (i.e. chatter (to chat) instead of 'clavarder', checker (to check) instead of 'verifier') is not proper French. It's not proper French. But you know, if a word, even if it's an anglicism, is used so frequently by the population, it might end up being in the dictionnary, such as the word "weekend/week-end". I don't think there's a problem with the pronunciation though, it's just how you say it. It might not be how most people say it, but it's how you are and you do you. On a side note, I found something interesting: Anglicisms are not perceived and treated in the same way across the Francophonie, for example the French Academy is more likely to accept Anglicisms than the Office québécois de la langue française; (Sorry that was REALLLYYY long)
@@skyeralbert461 Don't worry about being wordy or not. It's totally fine lol. From what I'd figured out is that things like "ayou" are kind of like "at where," which is something english speakers can do, but once again from a young age, just like you said, we're taught that it's better not to do that or to sound more educated or to be taken seriously, it's best to avoid things like "At where are you?" We still do that, but just add the "at" at the end of the sentence which is still frowned at, but in all honesty, it adds more detail. People in Louisiana do that do in some parishes which means it somewhere does go back a few hundred years. As for inferiority complex, I'm coming from not too far form northern Kentucky, and live now in Germany where until recently, those with dialects are actually sometimes seen as lesser despite people having spoken that way since even before the middle ages in some cases. I'm aware that French people from France can be brutal and straight up nasty when it comes to needing to say every word perfectly like you're from paris to determined whether or not it's proper French or not instead of learning the way real language works. As for adding words, there are certain cases where a word may not exist in french. English added a whole ton of words from french at some point. Even before standardized "all speak like Londoners," the variation within Great Britain even seen today from village to village shows and raises the question of what is proper french french or proper whatever? Of course there is a form expected during formal writing or presentation, but overdoing it is so easy it feels like. There was a woman speaking about school when she was younger when in the 60s, the idea of being bilingual or having a dialect would make learning the formal variety harder (not really true as it's been found). She was from Northern Germany where Platt was once everywhere. The teacher literally forced a little boy in the class and told him the local pronuncation wasn't "Pfard," and that it was actually "Pferd" to which he rejected. But what is even proper French? Because there are multiple Frenches. There's a French of Canada and a French of Maine, a French of Louisiana, and a French of the Midwest US. The idea is that the proper french is France French and yet what is that? A mix of Gaulish, Latin, and even there, original French rolled their r just like the other latin/romance languages. Idk. That's something our teachers impressed upon us- that there are different englishes. One english language with different englishes. However one form to be used when formally writing.
It sounds like you're figuring out the geography of North America, more or less. "Acadia" was a colony within "New France." It existed from 1604 until New France was conquered by the British in 1713. All of that region is now part of the nation of Canada.
Yes the extent of the former French Colonial Empire and its influence. There are still vestiges of that influence: Fort Chartre near Kaskaskia, Il., Prairie Du Rocher, Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Vincennes, In. Ste. Genevieve , Missouri still has 6 French Colonial Homes and a surviving festival called Guignolee. Ole Mines used to speak Paw Paw French. Lewis and Clark used canoist from the French Traders in St. Louis form the first leg of their journey. When they sent back people and specimens from The Louisian The Chpouteaus of St Louis accompanied them to Jefferson;s home at Monticello. Streets in St. Louis=Cerre, Gravois, Laclede, Bellefontaine, Paquin. I have travelled Quebec, The Gaspe, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. I am familiar with the History of Canada and the US. I was a commercial driver and have been to most of North America.
i grew up Acadien lol . the accent is totally regional. but one thing for sure is we swear a lot and use words from ancient France .... example "Fatras" ... the letter R is rolled (france- rolled at the back of the pallet) (acadien- rolled at the front of the pallet)
My only experience in French Canada was driving through Montreal during rush hour. Before the days of GPS. What I can tell is the influence of French fur traders on the Great Lakes and the Native Americans. Here in Wisconsin many of the tribes and place names are native in origin with French spellings.
I love these videos. The youtube algorithm suggested this channel to me because of my love for linguistics, and while I know its not your main channel focus, I certainly love your take on exploring dialects because its very much a non-professional inquiry, much like my own, fueled by enthusiasm. I hope to see more videos of you exploring the lesser-known corners of the Francophone world. Also, you might want to check out Paul from the Langfocus channel, he's got a great video on the differences between Quebec French and Standard French from a linguist's standpoint.
In the second clip, the young lady is Québécoise, the young man is Acadian. That's why you heard Québec French in there. The two are from different provinces and have very different accents.
It's so funny that you had a hard time understanding the whole region vs. language issue (I did too and I'm Canadian, don't worry) and your sweater says "New Orleans" which is a perfect representation of the video! To make things more confusing, Acadians are the ancestors of modern day Cajuns and that's where the word comes from ("Acadian/Acajian" got shortened to Cajun).
And us cajuns have our own chiac "mode" of our creole, and french and english. Never heard someone talk about it though, we just mix the three languages as we feel necessary. Lol
Chiac (soft ch, shee-ack) is a creole language believed to originate from the Shediac area of New Brunswick. Shediac being a massive lobster fishing community (town is dubbed the lobster capital of the world) I think that's why you heard the gentleman in the video refer to the distinct dialectical pronunciation of "homard." Acadian dialects and accents vary a lot even in the small geography that is New Brunswick thanks to communities being small and people historically not traveling far between them. People living close to Quebec take on a much more Quebecois accent, as you move further to the northeast towards Bathurst the accent becomes much more Acadian as does the vocabulary, but they rarely speak chiaq or any other kind of frenglish. To the southeast, there are far more Anglophones who speak no French at all, and I think maybe it's the longstanding relationships between the French Acadians and the English in this area that helped bring about this unique language. I grew up speaking chiac in the home and have an interest in linguistics and linguistic anthropology so (I know this video is a year old but) feel free to ask me anything and I'll answer the best I can! :)
Here in New Hampshire we have a French Descendancy of about 1/2 Million, but few remaining speakers. Similarly in Maine, Massachusetts & Rhode Island from the Quebec Migration of 1875-1925 to the New England Factories. The remaining here are in Manchester & Nashua (our largest cities) and Berlin, in the North Woods, approaching Quebec. Again there is a unique accent and a "melange" of French & English wording. You can still get excellent "poutine" and order in French in West Manchester & Berlin however.
No idea why you put quotations around Poutine, but that is a mighty bold statement about being able to got good ones there. The dish was created in the 1950's and ironically, the Acadians have Poutine also, it's a very different dish that is at least 400 years old - you never hear about the Acadian one though.
So for Maine, it's nuanced, because it depends if you're talking about southern Maine or northern Maine. Francos in southern Maine (Lewiston area) indeed are mostly of Quebecois descent for the migration reasons you mention. Francos in northern Maine (St. John Valley) are moreso of Acadian descent--they were in cohesive communities with other Acadians in New Brunswick and the US-CAN border just happened to be drawn right through the middle of their communities in the 1800s.
My Grandmother Noella (born in New England to Quebecois parents) spoke with her sister Yvette like this. They would switch between French and English like mid sentence. It was like their own language.
Wow, that's amazing. I'm from Mexican decent and lived in Texas, and we mix our Spanish and English (Spanlish). I wasn't aware about French-English. Fascinating.
I'm both mexican( of texas) & cajun french so I'm aware of both & the cajuns are extremely similar to mexicans. Cajuns are of European Mediterranean descent via French just like mexicans via Spain and also are mixed with native american a lot of the time like mexicans.
"Cajun" is just a Louisianan slang way of saying "Acadian" as that is where many of the Acadians ended up after they were deported from Canada by the British in 1755. Many found there way back to Canada eventually too though. However, Chiac is probably only spoken by a few in New Brunswick these days. Along the boundary between Québec and Ontario it can be quite humorous listening to many of the French speakers talk too...it's almost a slang that many there refer to as "Franglais" (e.g. j'aboarder la bus, or je drive l'auto etc.). Most Québecers (or Québecois as they like to be referred) speak a French that originates along the west coast of France though...e.g. primarily Normandy and Brittany.
Entre nous, je suis acadien, et parfois j'ai de la difficulté a comprendre. Tout dépend du temps passé dans chaque région afin de connaître les astuces de l'accent
The Cajuns of Louisiana are descendants of the Acadians, relocated to there by the British. I wonder if you can find Justin Wilson's take on it. He was an American comedian of Cajun descent.
“Cajun” is a shortened pronunciation of “Acadian.” It’s like someone slurred Acadian after too many bourbons. Following languages is much like watching cultures move around the world. Louisiana Cajuns migrated from Canadian Acadia. Now that typed it, could “Canada” be a derivative of “Acadia?” Or visa versa?
@@BennoHaas Yes I know. But I my dad had several of his comedy albums from back in the 60s. Don't know where they are since Dad passed away years ago. My sister might have them.
@@darryljordan647 The term Canada didn't exist during the Great Expulsion of 1755. Cajun is a corruption of 'cadien, which is the way the French of New Orleans pronounced it the the Americans who came up with "Cajun."
@@darryljordan647 "Canada" is a corruption of the Algonquin "Kanata" which means "home". I am guessing that the first French who showed up there asked the Algonquins, in whatever broken patois the two groups had concocted "What is this place called?". To this, the Algonquins replied "home" or "kanata".
Chiac is named some say after Shediac New Brunswick , there are also some words from native Mimaq a tribe of Indians from the region . Chiac is the cousin of the French spoken by the Cajuns in Louisiana . My mother spoke Chiac and was from Shediac my mother was half Acadian and Half Irish , the spoke both Chiac and English
Ecoute la musique de Lisa Leblanc ou de Marie-Jo Thério et lis les œuvres de l'écrivaine Antonine Maillet pour connaître mieux la culture acadienne du Nouveau-Brunswick. Je suis certain que tu aimeras ça.
Get a Map of US and Canada. Draw a dotted line from Montreal (formerly Ste. Marie or Marie) through Toronto ( formerly York) down to the Great Lakes to Chicago (this was the portage of Chicagou (wild garlic) to the Illinois River (Pay Du Illinois) to the Mississippi to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. This connected the French Empire in the Americas. The part around the Great lakes descending to the Gulf of Mexico was the Louisiana (Louisienne). The Acadians were in maritime Canada and to dilute their influence were deported throughout the Americas. The British supplanted French with Scottish immigrants (Nova Scotia=New Scotland). Those moving into New Orleans were not wanted even by the French in New Orleans and were forced into the swamps, That is where Acadian (Cadien) evolved into Cajun. There are wars being fought simultaneously to these events. France loses to the English and cedes Canada under the proviso that Quebec keeps their language, religion, and culture ( the terms of the treaty). So to this day Quebec has special arrangement within the Canadian Confederation. This particular Treaty arrangement did not apply to other parts of Canada. St. Louis where I live was founded by French in 1764. But the French King Louis ceded the Louisiana to his cousin Spanish King Carlos. St. Louis never became English until the sale of the Louisiana Purchase. August Chouteau born and raised in the wilderness speaking the French of the habitants and never having been to France was not understood by true French speakers (he spoke 5 native languages and French, signed the Missouri State Constitution and refused to speak English). His nephew founded Kansas City. By 1850, 60% of the inhabitants of St. Louis were from Germany or Ireland. Thus being American and transformed first by Americans the new massive immigration erased the last vestiges of French culture and only street names remain (Gravois, LaClede, Bellefontaine, etc.).
It's especially true in New Brunswick, which in many ways is an extension of New England. Almost everyone there are Red Sox fans, so it's heresy to cheer for the Yankees. My dad grew up in New Brunswick and he supported the Montreal Canadiens over the Boston Bruins, which also made him a bit of a pariah with his neighbours.
Celui qui expliquait la prononciation de homard en chiac avait un accent acadien. Celui qui parlait en chiac avait clairement comme langue maternelle l'anglais. Sa femme parlait plus naturellement.
I am curious to what language Marie thinks in in her head. Is it always French and then she has to translate it to English before she speaks. It’s always fascinating to me since I only speak English.
you really need to study the the whole 2000 years of Europe history to fully understand where Acadian and Quebec French comes from. from Gaelic to Gallo roman to anglo roman to a whole bunch of different french language variations depending where they were from in France. you should look out for Jerriais language videos. its at least a 1000 years old and still spoken in Northern France today. it's insanely similar to Acadian French.
Acadians are not Quebecois -- the Maritimes was one of the first areas in Canada where the French populated - then Populated in Quebec. So in the end it's two different groups of French people - developing different cultures and ways of speaking. The provinces the Acadians live in are now English and dominate the culture overall (of the province). So the Acadians picked up aspects of the English (past 300 years) language as it is more dominant in the society they live in (now) -- but it was originally all French (till the English took over). - The difference between Acadia and Quebec is that in Quebec French stayed the dominant language even after the English took over - and stayed a French area - as apposed to the Acadians - the areas they lived in became less French and the English took over and the area became English.
Could you do a video on Norman French, which is spoken in Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands? It was once the language spoken in both Normandy and amongst the English ruling class. I believe that it is still spoken widely in the Channel Islands.
I have just watched "Jèrriais (Jersey French) speaker interviewed in French" and read this interesting comment "I’m from Quebec. This woman sounds like a distinguished Acadian lady of British origin. I understand her completely."
We Louisiana Cajuns would joke that these are the cousins who hid in the bushes when the British soldiers came to expel us. Sadly my mother didn't want me and my siblings to learn French even though my grandmother's first language was Acadian (Cajun) French. There was a stigma attached to the accent and she was afraid it would hinder us. When my grandmother was in school, French was outlawed, so while I was learning standard French in high school, she refused to converse with me. But listening to the older gentleman speak, he reminds me of how many Cajuns spoke, mixing French and English. Even his accent had a familiar ring to it. And yes, they are our cousins. My 23andMe DNA test shows a lot of relatives in the Nova Scotia area, which was originally called Acadia.
If you listen to the students exposed to the Cajun dialect at the high school level through the CODOFIL programmes, you can tell that they studied français métroplitain first. While they have the consonant-vowel combinations correct for Cajun French and use the archaisms, turns of phrase, syntax and vocabulary unique to Louisiana, their vowels are DECIDEDLY Standard French.
And we real Acadians would joke that you are nothing more than Americans with zero relation to our culture and who cannot even speak the language. The ones who did what the English told you to do.
For outsiders it is confusing. My mom is Acadian and Did not speak English until a teenager both of my children attend the Acadian French school in Nova Scotia which no English is allowed to be spoken. Also different provinces and different communities have different accents which make it even more confusing. My friend who lives here in Halifax is from France and his 92 year old mom who doesn’t speak English can understand my children perfectly but Acadian is a very old French that has evolved different from Quebec.
7:31 i remember in school learninf about the quebequois who migrated south down the Mississippi river to louisiana and acadiana is literally just a mispelling of canadia and the affluent accent holding families could pass down the accent to their kids while other people might just have a franglais ish accent.
It's always interesting to learn about the evolution of languages throughout the world. There are so many influences that contribute to each dialect and language. I once heard from a French teacher from Quebec that the Acadians incorporate some English into their French, sort of a "Franglais". That may help you understand it. : )
A little history as to why Acadia and Acadiana are related. Acadia was a French colony. Acadia was conquered by the English. The English gave the French settlers the option of swearing allegiance to the English crown or moving to New Orleans. New Orleans was important because of the fort protecting the mouth of the Mississippi River. That is part of why there is a French district in New Orleans and why the French in Lousiana and Acadia are similar but very different. J'aime tes videos. Ils sont tellement geniales.
Just a slight correction... They were not given a choice. The year was 1755 and on. They were deported not knowing where they were going to end up, villages burned to make sure they couldn't return, etc. Nothing in this was civilized as you make it sound. People fled if they could, hid in the forest and went North along the St-John River. If not caught, some settled in Northern New-Brunswick, Île St-Jean (now PEI), and in Québec, among other places. These were dark times indeed.
@@isabelledrolet4297 the previous commenter was correct. The Acadians were given the choice to swear allegiance to the English crown but most refused. The deportation was carried out under protest, most to Louisiana , some to Africa, some to French colonies in the Caribbean, some to France even. Small pockets of Acadians remained in Nova Scotia ( my family), New Brunswick, and to a lesser extent to Prince Edward Island. Here they survived and retained their language and culture. The French spoken today is a mixture of archaic French with much English influence. Consider that Acadia was founded in 1604 by Siemens de Champlain and has been isolated since 1763. Only since the 1960’s has the retention of the language been supported by the various governments. I learned French in School; my cousins speak Acadian French. I have much trouble understanding them when they speak quickly. My one cousin reminds the others to speak “proper” French so I can understand and participate.
@ Servern Blades I agree with you, but guess I did not make clear what my correction was to specifically. I was just finding the his sentence of "option of swearing allegiance to the English crown or moving to New Orleans" made it seem like they had a say in where they were to be relocated as if it had been a smooth process. Yes, they had the choice to "side" with the British or get deported, but never had a choice to where or how... It was very much a violent process. My family was among those who fled along the St-John River. After a brief exile in what is now QC, they eventually made their way back into NB and settled in the Caraquet region. And I applaud you for keeping your French alive! Must be very difficult in NS. My whole family speaks Acadian French and my husband (from QC) has sometimes trouble keeping up with our conversations!
@@isabelledrolet4297 one thing I failed to mention regarding the expulsion of the Acadians. The British really did not care about the allegiance, it was a good reason to cover their real intent. From the founding of Acadia to the end of the Seven Years War (1763) the Acadians had worked very hard to improve the land. They cleared forests, drained wet lands, built irrigation ditches, etc. The land was very well prepared and the British wanted it, plain and simple. Let’s just send these French baxxxxxds away and claim the land for ourselves. My family is from southwest Nova Scotia, around Yarmouth. It is interesting that Yarmouth town id almost exclusively English speaking, yet just a few miles outside of town, the whole area is French speaking. These people have worked very hard over the centuries to maintain their language, religion, and customs. When my grandparents moved into town from the country, they learned English but did not bother to teach my mother’s generation to speak French. The language was kept for themselves for when they did not want the kids to understand. My mother knew a few French words and phrases, but had very little idea what they meant or where they came from. My uncle, after whom I was named, never did learn to read or write English. My mother’s older brother married a girls from the country, thus my Acadian cousins. An interesting side note, my mother’s father was a Frenchman from the islands of St Pierre et Miquelon, a citizen of France who entered Canada illegally in the 1910’s so he was definitely French, but not Acadian.
They were actually there for 3 to 4 generations before the colonist arrived. Yes they were kicked out in 1700s but they were there in the 15 and 1600s as well. Another thing is the Acadians were a brand new ethnicity. They were not French they were French people mixed with Mi’kmaq. No one gave them a choice.
Yep, I am not surprised the mix of French, English, native American, and even Spanish that is "Acadian French" is giving you fits or even a headache. Map of Acadiana in Louisiana as part of a Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadiana People born in southern Louisiana around the year 1900 were the last generation which commonly spoke French as a first or second language. Mass communications (cinema, large circulation newspapers, radio, and TV) virtually eliminated French in Louisiana by sometime in the 1960s. The government of Louisiana in cooperation with the government of France is working to preserve or even revive the use of French in Louisiana. crt.state.la.us/cultural-development/codofil/index The older of my sisters graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor's degree in French. It helped that she went to all four years of high school in western Switzerland. My wife's niece (her brother's daughter) completed graduate school in Orleans, France on a CODOFIL scholarship.
Both of my grandparents are from Decazeville France when she was taking French in school the teacher said she was pronouncing French wrong, she said tell it to my parents who were born in France. They taught Parisian my Grandparents spoke Southern French
I am Acadian. Both my parents from Moncton and Rogersville. I lived in Moncton and Shediac so the older couple sounds just like my parents and aunt and uncle. Music to my ears growing up.
Seems like you need to go visit Quebec with some of your followers and vlog your trip and interesting interactions you have with locals. I'd totally watch that, get a group together and vlog your trip.
Another thing in Southwest Louisiana is depending where you live the Cajun dialect changes some. There’s the Native American,Spanish, Italian, German, and Irish language over the years that has evolved and used in Cajun French.
Bonjour Marie! The Cajuns came from Acadian settlers, and their name got "corrupted" into the word, Cajun. I really hope that you get the opportunity to speak to more French speaking people from all over such as Haiti, Cote d'Ivoire, Monaco, Belgium, and other places. Thanks for sharing this! Bonne Journee! ~Be Blessed
@@tiffaniterris2886 Settlers they were indeed, as they are the ethnic group that developed out of the French colonist who settled in Acadia beginning in 1605. Some Acadians then become settlers in Louisiana starting in the 1760s.
My family is from the Acadie area of New Brunswick 🇨🇦, my grandmother was notorious for using French and English interchangeably when speaking with her siblings. On multiple occasions I'd call her out and ask why, she couldn't explain why or how, only that it's as natural as breathing. It's odd, but neat 😊
Love the "J'aime right" tee=shirt. Our family were from both Quebec, and Acadia, before entering US. The ones in Acadia were forced out of Acadia by the English. They were forced out, or fled to Quebec, or New England. Others ended up in New Orleans.
Within Nova Scotia we have different Acadian cultures and accents. The region of Claire speaks St. Mary's Bay French en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Marys_Bay_French Other Acadian regions include Pubnico in the western part of the province, Isle Madame/Arichat and Cheticamp in Cape Breton all with their own accents. As you move into New Brunswick (the only officially bilingual province in Canada) the closer you get to Quebec the influence of Quebec language and culture has more and more influence in the Acadian language. There is also a colony of France (St. Pierre et Miquelon) just off of the Coast of Newfoundland where they speak metropolitan French.
If I try to speak french in Quebec they say "Vous etre un Acadien de Nouveau Brunswick". Before I learned how to write any of it, they didn't understand me at all in Quebec. Now they say I'm acadien de NB. And they are almost right. My parents both were. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I know, I don't like to admit it. But I was. But I since left. lol. Oh, my name isn't really Leandre Maillet. That was my grandfather. I just "borrowed it" to get back on twitter since I'm banned for life over my Q posts and WEF. I better watch out. They might ban me here too if I go further. lol. So I'm a typical Acadien in that I'm always "bucking the system". We just don't fit in so well. lol. Except most are blind. I just happen to see what they don't so I don't fit in as an Acadien either. I'm a "conspiracy theorist". But who cares. I don't need them anyway. Oh well. Peace. Salut.
All you have to do to hear that language is go to Canada people in Canada speak French Canadian which most Parisian French speakers think is ghetto French! However the people in Canada said that this is the original French from thousands of years ago that we took to Canada the people from Paris now speak terrible French so who do you believe? All I know is I want the Sherbrooke ones and tried to speak the French I learned in high school they looked at me like I had three heads
If you only speak standard French obviously you will have a hard time, you just need a bit of exposure and adjustment to understand. Unless they were actually speaking Chiac and you got confused
My mother is from northern New Brunswick and grew up French speaking but part of the language situation is that they use many words originating in the parts of France their ancestors came from, specifically Britainy and Normandy and other Gaelic French areas. Compound that with cultural isolation from European French change and homogeneity efforts by the French central government and Canadian French gets two, at least, variations. On many visits to France my mother is fully understood but thought to be from some rural area that uses an older pattern and vernacular
Very interesting. I live in Nova Scotia, part of Acadia. My mother is Quebecoise, and I have an Acadian aunt due to a marriage with my uncle from Quebec. A lot of different dialects up here. I have spoken to American Creole and Vajuns and we understood each other. Some Cajuns sound like our Acadians and others sound like an Englishman speaking French without trying to learn the French accent. We have Acadian people up here in Nova Scotia who have kept their French accent but only speak English. I was in Paris recently and people were quite interested in the differences that have developed over the centuries.
This is so fascinating to me! I am a native English speaker but I am French by ancestry and French-Canadian by heritage. I currently live in a very Francophone part of the country - New Brunswick, to be precise. The French here, and my mother's native French is NOT what you think when you think French - it is what we call "Franglais!" Acadian French often rolls 'r' and ends in hard 'r'. And they pepper in a lot of english and they have their own words! For instance, they use "pi" instead of "et" for and. and they use "yank" for just! Very odd.
When we went to Iceland we were told Icelandic was originally old Norwegian that evolved over time. I can understand when Cajuns speak English. I understand a little Cajun French. I guess since I speak Spanish as well that helps.
New Brunswick is Nouveau Brunswick and Nova Scotia is Nouvelle Ecosse in French. The French (Acadians) were along the shorelines of Nova Scotia (besides in New Brunswick). They were expelled by the English in 1755-1763, however some remained. Today, most Acadian French are found north of Yarmouth, along the shoreline into the Bay of Fundy area (up to Annapolis Valley/Port Royal area) and some in Cape Breton Island (look up Fort Louisbourg).
I was wondering if you would do something like this after seeing the QC french vid. haha. I live in NB so this is right up my alley! Acadians are directly from France - my family is from the Bretagne region I believe... there is even a bordeaux with the family name on it !! :)
South-east of New-Brunswick has the strongest mix of French and English (Chiac, pronounced she-ak), the more you go North-East, the more French becomes prevalent. Then when you go to the North-West, the accent sounds more and more like Quebec's accent. And the South-East is mostly English. Hope this helps :)
Bonjour Marie. Je suis québecois d'origine ayant passé une partie de mon enfance en Acadie, où ma soeur a décidé d'aller fonder sa famille! Si tu aimerais de l'aide avec les accents régionaux, fais-moi signe! Tes vidéos sont supers et c'est beau de voir quelqu'un s'intéresser de la sorte à notre belle langue ainsi qu'à ses diverses variétés!
Ok, if you’re going down the rabbit hole of French Canadian dialects, you have to look up Michif, the language of the Métis. It’s a mix of French, from the early French traders and colonizer, mixed with the native language of the Cree. The majority of Métis people in Canada live in the province of Manitoba, and a bit in western Ontario. Edit: this is a good explanation, but doesn’t feature people actually speaking Michif ua-cam.com/video/o2FsElCXlHI/v-deo.html
Would it help to know that they came from Brittany? I think the Quebecois came from the north, like around Calais. That's where the founders of Montreal came from, my mother's ancestors came over with them . Could be why the accents are so different.
I come from a French Canadian background on my father’s side, and an Irish Miq Maq background on my mother’s side. Born in Halifax. I speak French, and English, (along with a few other languages not pertaining to this). When I was 20, I lived in Geneva, Switzerland, and worked as an Au Paire. There I was told often that I spoke French with a Canadian accent.
I have often been able to help tourists by translating the language for them. The most interesting time was when I was 18. We were in south Texas, and a couple visiting from London England came into the local convenience store. They spoke a Cockney dialect, and I translated English to English between the Texan storekeeper, and the British customers. Languages are a very great interest to me.
Bonne journée.
C'est mi'kmaq ;)
I'm in the😢@@007carotno 0:00 0:00 mi me me
Their French is supposed to be closest to what French was 300-400 years ago when they left France. Languages change over time, French in France has changed over the last few hundred years, but these guys still hold on to a lot of the original language. It is like a language time capsule. It is not the only Acadian dialect, but Chiac accommodate more English.
cool to see the same language evolve in two different directions across the world due to the surroundings. same with québécois
They changed at the same rate as American English evolved from the English the colonizers spoke when they colonized North America. It’s not 100% the same, but they changed like the Parisian accent changed. There are other accents in France/Europe that have similar traits to North American French.
@@W3irdAl95 Alexandra if you know anything about the history of the Acadians and their homeland of Acadia? You would know that all of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and PEI and Gaspé PQ along with the eastern part of Maine was was once all of Acadia. So if you are from Gaspé PQ you no doubt would be speaking Acadian French as the French spoken in Northern New Brunswick sounds a lot like the French in Gaspé PQ. As for the Chiac French spoken in New Brunswick it's mostly in Moncton NB and surrounding area. Moncton NB is known as the Capital of Acadia. Me personally I think it should be Caraquet NB which is a city or town in Northeastern part of NB called Acadia Peninsula, because they sound more French than the French in Moncton. P.S my French Acadian ancestors in my family came from Gaspé PQ and Tracadie NB. Don't let my Irish last name fool you as there are many McLaughlin's in that area who speak French fluently.
@@W3irdAl95 Quebec French is awful. They can't say 2 words without swearing 3 times.
@@W3irdAl95 typical reply from a quebecer. Always above or more better than everyone else. Guess what. Your shit stinks just like everyone else. Gtfoh
Madawaska, Maine(USA) has an Acadian Festival every summer and has for many years. If you want to experience an actual “old time France” visit this place at this time of year. Do it soon because the oldest generation like my grandparents who only spoke French are passing away and, so is this French language. It is not spoken much in the youngest (current) generation. This is an “antiquated”, old-time French from 200 years ago. Amazing considering these French-only speaking, elderly population are Americans! No other place in the United States has an ISOLATED French settlement like the St. John Valley (Fort Kent, Frenchville, Madawaska, St.David, Grand Isle, Van Buren).
100% I grew up in Fort Kent.
Not all acadien speak Chiac, only in the Sud-est part of New-Brunswick (a Canadien province), principalement dans les villes de Moncton et Dieppe. If you go dans la Péninsule acadienne nord-est of New-Brunswick (Caraquet, Tracadie, etc.). Its is a different accent. If you go in the nord-ouest in Edmunston for exemple they speak Brayon, un autre accent différent.
.hanks that helps I have visited and noticed differenced and now that explains,
Awesome! You mix English and French, and it is perfectly understandable to me (English guy). Like magic.
@@neilwilson5785 In Missouri they spoke paw paw or Missouri French but this finally died about 1989. French Canadiens who mixed with merchants from New Orleans, metis. Osage and Shawnee then Anglicized
I grew up there and it was super difficult to learn French in school because our teachers all spoke different forms of French. One year, Brayon, one year Chiac, another Quebecois. I had to go to Toronto to learn to speak true French, ironically.
@@brentross9680 Brent I am a retired Bus Driver for Tours and Charters (more than 23 years) and have been from Isle Royale to Quebec City through (across Megantic) the Gaspe, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and across the Confederation Bridge. I saw many Acadian Flags as well as Celtic flags and private language schools. The accents were definitely different. I didn't realize the extent. There seemed to be a big push to re-learn heritage. And there were Acadian festivals with visitors from Louisiana. I am aware of the re-settlement of Loyalist to former Acadia farms. One of my daughters lives in Louisiana. I've been on the Pictou and Woods Hole Ferries a number of times.
C'était right cool te ouaire reacter a notre way d'parler. Merci j'ai bien enjoyer ca. :)
My father was born on the east coast of New Brunswick in the early 1930s in a village almost entirely occupied by Acadians. His mother tongue was French but when his family moved south to the capital, he quickly became Anglicized. He said, "You could get beat up for speaking French in Fredericton in those days."
As a result, I grew up speaking only English, my mother's mother tongue.
I learned French as a young adult, and one of the things I remember hearing in the course of my learning was that there were nine different French dialects in New Brunswick.
Another of my teachers explained that the rolled R was more common among Acadians, but that some children had trouble with it and, therefore, formed the R sound in their throats. She, her husband, and one of her sons rolled their R's but the other son couldn't do it!
This could explain the difference between the Acadian couple at the beginning of the video.
Also, New Brunswick and Quebec border each other, and I suspect that the closer the community is to the border, the more similar the accent is to one of those spoken in Quebec.
PS The couple speak English with a French accent. I would have known they were Acadian even if they hadn't spoken French. Their accent in English is different from yours, though.
Back in the day there was a lot of nasty discrimination against francophones. I’ve heard stories of people speaking French being told to “speak white” Not only in New Brunswick but also in Northern Ontario.
I’m Franco-Ontarian and every time I visit Quebec, I’m told that my accent sounds Acadian. Particularly because the way I roll my Rs which I’ve been told is also characteristic of Northern Ontario French. The bilingual community I grew up in is also notorious for speaking Frenglish lol. Thank you for this great video! Loved it! ☺️
You guys speak exactly like the Brayons do (Madawaska county, New Brunswick)
Similar story here. I grew up mostly anglophone, but hearing french from my mom's side of the family (older generation Quebecers). I became fairly fluent in spoken french after moving to Montreal, but my accent still raises a few eyebrows (the mixture of a sometimes anglo sometimes Quebecer accent, some of those old-school rolled Rs and the occasional bit of franglais when I blank out on a word). I've had a number of people think that I was from either Sudbury or New Brunswick when in reality, I'm just an awkward "franglo" from Toronto.
Ah! salut de Sudbury!
The acadians are all over the phoquen place !
I was about to write this. Around Montreal I don’t get so much of this but when we went to Quebec City I had a few people tell me I have a Acadian accent. I find it insulting though!
Grew up in Boston, was about 8 years old when she died, but I still have aural memories of my grandmother on my mothers side. She was born, and grew up in Saulnierville NS. French was her first language, the area she grew up in on the Bay of Fundy was a 50 to 60 mile stretch from Yarmouth to Digby south to north that was, and still is predominantly French/Arcadian/Chiac speaking area. My grandmother emigrated to the US in the 1925, met my grandfather American, in Massachusetts married, mom born in 1929. I vividly remember my grandmother speaking a mixture French/English just like the husband in the first part of the video, especially when she got excited or angry. It seemed to me that she had a very deep, alto speaking voice. She did not teach my mom French, but my mom could mimic her perfectly with the same accents, and inflections. This video really brought back some fond very distant, and closer memories.
My grandmothers father was adopted as a 2 year old orphan who’s mother died on the ship that carried both of them from Ireland in 1861. His adoptive family was French speaking Canadian from that town. They let him keep his original name of Duffy. He ended up marrying a cousin of family who’s name was Comeau. So my grandmother was a French speaking Canadian of Irish/French descent whom I remember fondly for double speak to my ears, and lots of spoiling and hugs. 😉
As someone else commented, Chiac usually refers to the French/ English mixture spoken around Moncton New Brunswick. I remember overhearing a guy saying “ j’suis allé pick up ma blonde at the airport. There are English and French speaking villages in this area and the dialect has been influenced by this and the historical political and economic superiority of anglophones.
In the north of New Brunswick, again, as mentioned in another comment, the accent is different. It is obviously Canadian French but different from Quebec French. The ancestors of the Acadians arrived in North America independently from the Québécois. In the early 18th century they had an accommodation with the English and were known as “neutral French”. In the 1750s the English settlers in what is now the US became concerned at their increasing numbers and jealous of their economic success. They took advantage of the conflict between England and France to have them expelled from the land. This is referred to as “Le Grand Dérangement ». Many went to Louisiana. Others hid in the forests and moved north into New Brunswick where they were helped by the native First Nation inhabitants. Their descendants are now the francophone acadians of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
The history of this region is fascinating.I lived there for about three years. I loved it! Vive l’Acadie!
Thx
Wow! You explained it really well!
Also the historical oppression of Francophones in Canada, especially outside Quebec. It's a miracle they even still speak much French at all, they just have to get political like in Quebec. Personally, I think it makes more sense for the bordering French communities to just join Quebec before it's too late.
@@JM-nt5ex The south and south west of New Brunswick is largely anglophone. Moncton to Miramichi is mixed or they speak Chiac. North of Miramichi is Acadian and very much independent minded and not interested in being québécois. Only the North east has much in common with Quebec. I remember Quebec people and French tourists complaining feeling unwelcome in Caraquet. Some feel that the Acadian dialect is not appreciated by speakers of “français soutenu”
@@timothyrobson3325 From what I've heard, speaking to some Acadians and Quebecois, the francophone portions of New Brunswick, and Ontario are continuing to be assimilated by the sea of Anglophones coming in and not speaking French at all, especially around Moncton, seems joining Quebec would secure these areas as solidly Francophone. Acadie will still be as much Acadie as a part of the more representative Quebec as it would be as a part of the continuously Anglicizing and settled New Brunswick, no? I would love a new perspective on this, as someone from Francophone Louisiana, which hardly exists anymore, I am very interested in how it works up there. I've heard talk of worries about "Louisianisation", which has already happened in most of Acadie.
'Cajin French comes from Acadian French. As the British expelled from their homes and land in Nova Scotia, the Acadians that wouldn't swear an oath of allegiance to the british crown in the 19th century. They were displaced to Louisiana and Australia. Families were separated indiscriminately. This Acadian French varies considerably from French dialects spoken in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and other places in Canada, (including Alberta, British Columbia and Newfoundland).
Thanks for posting this Marie even though it didn’t go as you expected. Still interesting and fun. I’m going to watch it again to see if I can get more than I got the first time.
I'm Acadian, and the first couple is actually not far from where i grew up, and the last guy actually went to my high school. Both of them I had no problem understanding, and the reason for the difference is because each village has a different accent, that explains the difference with the R between the husband and the wife, they probably grew up in neighborhood villages, so you would notice a difference, we would use the same work, but pronounce it differently. The middle video, i had trouble with, but that is because the northern part of New Brunswick has a lot of influence from Quebec and a lot of them are also dependent from the Acadians who got deported from Acadian (Now Nova Scotia) in 1755, by the British. We got scatered every where with over half the population dying. Cajuns are decendents of the survivors who made it to Louisiana. A lot excaped to Quebec amd later returned to New Brunswick, this is mostly the population we now see in the northern part of New Brunswick. The Acadians in the southern part of New Brunswick and in Nova Scotia are mostly the Acadians that hid from the British in the woods or within native villages, or who made their way to the refuge camp in New Brunswick in Miramichi. Being from the southern part of New Brunswick, i have no problem understanding Acadians from Nova Scotia, it's a very simular dialog, but have a very hard time understanding people from the northern part of my own province, almost as much as I would someone from Quebec. Acadians in Moncton and Dieppe area are influenced by living in a community where the population is about half french and half english (i believe in the pass it was more english than french), so they have a large english influence in their dialogue. i also grew up with older parents, who when they went to school, where tought in english, there where no french books provided for french speaking students in the province back in the day, so there was a large english influnce put on them as well from school. The older couple at the beginning of the video would be part of that generation as well. The Acadian history amd culture is very complicated especially for anyone who hasn't lived it, but the main reason for the variation, is caused by the Acadians being seperated and having various different influence on their language over the last 250 years.
That's what i'm paying my internet bills for. Thanks for sharing that!
The first couple, especially the woman, brings back memories of my Papa speaking with his cousin. All of his relatives still live in Canada. He was Acadian French.
I really love the joy you have discovering new things. It a great balance to the frustration that can be brought on by confusion.
Great video Marie. If you think you were confused just think how confused we were 😅😂🤣 keep the videos coming
Watch some Acadieman videos and you will see how quickly your brain adjusts to the French-English mix, which is the basis of most of the comedy in the series!
You should look up or react to "Radio Radio", which is a Chiac rap group. Their music is really good and the lyrics are funny and also easily available for reference. New Brunswick is about half French (Acadian, on east coast) and half English, but most people are bilingual. And in Moncton (main city), they developed a mixed language, Chiac, which is mostly using French grammar with lots of English words and expressions mixed into it.
The Maritimes are a great place to road trip. Cape Breton is picturesque, and Antigonish is great too. You pretty much can't go wrong driving the coast anywhere in any of the three provinces.
Acadian French is extremely diverse. I'm from Magdalen islands, and we have our unique accents, expression, and usage of old French
Even though I reside in Quebec, my whole family is from Moncton, New Brunswick and I grew up speaking Chiac. My grand parents all spoke like 'La Sagouine'.
i may have an Irish surname but my Mother is an Acadian she a Thibodeau i am proud of my Acadian Heritage, thank you for this video
I remember growing up with my French (European) Dad. We came home with french homework from school ( mid 1970s) and asked Dad for some help. He looked at the book and got really mad lol. He threw the book in the garbage and said we will not be learning "Newfie" French in this house. LOL
Stumbled upon this video and really enjoyed watching - hearing them, and your reactions... Acadia extends from the edge of Quebec at New Brunswick then extends east through PEI - that could be some of the differences between the speakers. I used to work with a girl who was from NB - loved listening to her talk! She was back and forth - we had a big group in that job, NB, Quebec City, Montreal, Ontario, Alberta french people - each is quite different, but the east coast, they've got a wonderful rhythm in their speech (if they were Irish, I'd call it a "lilt" but I'm not sure that's the right word).
Oh, Marie, this lovely couple is so fun to listen to! What's strange is that I understood the husband better than our English speakers down in Georgia! My first time there, I thought I was in a foreign country! Thank you for a great video!
Je suis Acadien de la partie nord du Nouveau Brunswick et notre accent n`est pas chiac et ni Québequois mais notre accent et notre parlé ressemble beaucoup au parlé francais de 500 ans passées en France. La province du Nouveau Brunswick est la seule province au Canada officiellement bilingue avec environs 350 000 francais et 450 000 anglais le chiac est surtous parlé dans le sud est du N.-B. L `accent Québequois date des années soixantes environs.Avant leurs accent ressemblais beaucoup au notre dans le nord du N.-B. L`accent que nous avons est le plus proche de se que tes ancêtres parlais en fait nous parlons encore l`ancien francais. A chaque années nous fêtons à la date du 15 Août le fait que nous parlons francais et la déportation forcée des Acadians par les Anglais de nos terres. Notre drapeau est le même que la France, mais on ajoute une étoile pour souligné le fait Acadien.
Tout à fait
Super videos on this subject with tons of responses (loved the responses). Well Done Marie!!
It was like listening to my Mom & Dad speaking !!! I grew up with this way of speaking, at my parents house... I feel like I'm at home ! Thanks !!!👍
The "rolled R" is the old pronunciation of the letter R in French. Actually you can still find people even in France who pronounce it that way, but it has become very rare in France. In Quebec we still encounter a lot of people who pronounce it that way, especially among the elderly.
not trying to start a fight. Genuinely trying to keep a realistic view on the reason why. Why DON'T younger people speak like that anymore? For me, granted I'm not someone who speaks North American French, I'd imagine if it's part of the language, going based off of english, we don't suddenly try to sound like londoners. Genuinely curious
@@Ian-dn6ld I mean, as an Acadian, living in North-East of New-Brunswick (not chiac at all), a lot of the elders roll the r. But most minors, young adults, and even middle-aged people don't roll it anymore. I think it has to do partially with the education system. Sure at home you might talk with your family that way, but in school you learn to pronounce the 'standard, french from france way'. When you read out loud, when you do public presentation in front of the class... You are to write and speak in a correct/standard French (Like you'd see in the newspapers). Not necessarily literary, but at least standard. I don't think you'd lose points on a verbal exam if you rolled the r hough, it's more like saying 'pis' (insted of 'et' = and), or saying 'ça' (instead of 'cela' = it).
Though, I believe that this puristic view of proper French usage and correctness makes the young more lenient towards 'standard french' than ancestral acadian dialects.
Acadians use barbarisms, anglicisms, improper terms, pejorative terms, vulgar terms, badly conjugated verbs, bad uses of gender and number, contractions of prepositions and determiners, sounds replaced by others, etc. This is not tolerated in the education system. A correct/standard (formal) French must be used.
The youngers also seem to just not care at all about the acadian heritage. To them, it isn't cool, in comparison with american stuff. Such as the music. Almost everyone listens to american music, or at least music in english. And when it's in French, it's mostly rap from France. That doesn't have much to do with rolling the r in particular, but overall I think it derives us more and more from the acadian dialecte from centuries ago. Just my input.
@@skyeralbert461 Thanks for the input. Even the way you describe the differences show to me a mindset that holds acadian french as being improper french - a type of inferiority complex. Even "gender" is actually something that is a construct of perception when it comes to language. There was a study where basically every language tested described those objects similarly with features that aligned with the gendered characteristics of those items. A key in german is masculine - they described it has hard and cold. In french, a key is feminine and was described as petite, delicate, shiny. What I find most uncomfortable is the way schools can not get over enforcing "proper" or "standard" pronunciations to be used even in regular conversation at school. We don't get told to speak in a london accent in the US despite it still having some sort of superior view. Neither in Canada I'd say.
My school (which filters to one of the top 400 high schools in the nation (I looked it up for kicks and grins)) allowed us to speak as we grew up as long as we could show the skills to use proper/standard grammar when writing and to recognize the difference. They would clarify when something ought to be left out of formal writing vs informal writing. Formal speech vs informal. I find it irritating the way other schools even if accidentally put out this idea that the parents or grandparents who may speak that way are inferior or somehow backwoods buggards not worthy of being listened to or telling everyone they won't be taken seriously and therefore instilling that inferiority complex instead of teaching kids to be confident just like in any setting. Even the grammar situation reflects grammars that may have been popular and the prestige of a day gone by, but do not or at least should not define whether a person is worthy of being listened to.
Thanks for sharing though. It's interesting to get to see into other perspectives beyond my own.
@Ian Well, I wasn't really showing my personal perspective I suppose. The sentence 'barbarisms, anglicisms, improper terms, pejorative terms, vulgar terms, badly conjugated verbs, bad uses of gender and number, contractions of prepositions and determiners, sounds replaced by others, etc' is the explanation of the Language registers (or levels); popular language.
Maybe I didn't put it well, but it's how it's taught. It's also odd, it seems like a hierarchy, hence the word 'levels".
It goes as followed (as explained by the education system, again, not my words):
Popular language
- barbarisms, anglicisms, improper terms, pejorative terms, vulgar terms, badly conjugated verbs, bad uses of gender and number, contractions of prepositions and determiners, sounds replaced by others, etc. (guernouille instead of« grenouille », s'entertenir instead of « s'entretenir ». French words that have been modified, or words that were just created from scratch (or so it seems): galance instead of « balance », ayoù instead of « où », and so on...)
Familiar language
- respects most of the time, the basic rules of grammar, but allows deviations that simplify the way of expressing oneself. Despite this, it remains admitted under certain conditions. It corresponds to everyday language; the one we use every day. (J'sais instead of « je sais », j't'aime instead of « je t'aime »...)
Standard language
- The one that should normally be used in writing for formal documents to which some importance is attached, such as letters and schoolwork. It is, among other things, commonly used on radio and television for reports, documentaries, news and, in the classroom, for oral presentations. It is also called international French because of its potential to be understood by all French speakers.
Sustained or literary language
- Standard language refinement. It involves the use of a richer vocabulary, more complex sentence structures, more elaborate figures of speech and the use of moods and tenses of verbs that are normally rarely used. Sustained language is hardly used orally, but heavily used in novels.
Also, I'm sure if you understood that we are not allowed to speak with a popular language between classmates, but that's not the case. Popular language or familiar language is totally accepted normally. It's only when presenting documents, schoolwork, or while public speaking or oral presentations, that we are required to use a standard/correct language.
I was just thinking about the fact that if you are taught at a young age how to pronounce each words and letters in standard language, well you're going to pronounce it as you've been taugth.
But then again I ask myself, decades ago, centuries even, before the death of Louis-Mailloux for instance, when the schools were religious, were they taught correct language? Probably, but then why did they continue to roll the r? I suppose the young just did like the adults. I do not know.
As for your 'inferiority complex' part, I cannot relate with that. It's a dialect like any other dialect, and brings a sens of uniqueness, rather than a hierarchy (althought I feel school teaches us the later sometimes, which is what I was trying to convey).
Concerning improper French, well, it sort of is, isn't it? Adding English words in a French sentence is certainly not proper French. To take an english verb and to make it 'french' (i.e. chatter (to chat) instead of 'clavarder', checker (to check) instead of 'verifier') is not proper French. It's not proper French.
But you know, if a word, even if it's an anglicism, is used so frequently by the population, it might end up being in the dictionnary, such as the word "weekend/week-end".
I don't think there's a problem with the pronunciation though, it's just how you say it. It might not be how most people say it, but it's how you are and you do you.
On a side note, I found something interesting: Anglicisms are not perceived and treated in the same way across the Francophonie, for example the French Academy is more likely to accept Anglicisms than the Office québécois de la langue française;
(Sorry that was REALLLYYY long)
@@skyeralbert461 Don't worry about being wordy or not. It's totally fine lol. From what I'd figured out is that things like "ayou" are kind of like "at where," which is something english speakers can do, but once again from a young age, just like you said, we're taught that it's better not to do that or to sound more educated or to be taken seriously, it's best to avoid things like "At where are you?" We still do that, but just add the "at" at the end of the sentence which is still frowned at, but in all honesty, it adds more detail. People in Louisiana do that do in some parishes which means it somewhere does go back a few hundred years.
As for inferiority complex, I'm coming from not too far form northern Kentucky, and live now in Germany where until recently, those with dialects are actually sometimes seen as lesser despite people having spoken that way since even before the middle ages in some cases. I'm aware that French people from France can be brutal and straight up nasty when it comes to needing to say every word perfectly like you're from paris to determined whether or not it's proper French or not instead of learning the way real language works.
As for adding words, there are certain cases where a word may not exist in french. English added a whole ton of words from french at some point. Even before standardized "all speak like Londoners," the variation within Great Britain even seen today from village to village shows and raises the question of what is proper french french or proper whatever? Of course there is a form expected during formal writing or presentation, but overdoing it is so easy it feels like. There was a woman speaking about school when she was younger when in the 60s, the idea of being bilingual or having a dialect would make learning the formal variety harder (not really true as it's been found). She was from Northern Germany where Platt was once everywhere. The teacher literally forced a little boy in the class and told him the local pronuncation wasn't "Pfard," and that it was actually "Pferd" to which he rejected.
But what is even proper French? Because there are multiple Frenches. There's a French of Canada and a French of Maine, a French of Louisiana, and a French of the Midwest US. The idea is that the proper french is France French and yet what is that? A mix of Gaulish, Latin, and even there, original French rolled their r just like the other latin/romance languages.
Idk. That's something our teachers impressed upon us- that there are different englishes. One english language with different englishes. However one form to be used when formally writing.
It sounds like you're figuring out the geography of North America, more or less. "Acadia" was a colony within "New France." It existed from 1604 until New France was conquered by the British in 1713. All of that region is now part of the nation of Canada.
Yes the extent of the former French Colonial Empire and its influence. There are still vestiges of that influence: Fort Chartre near Kaskaskia, Il., Prairie Du Rocher, Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Vincennes, In. Ste. Genevieve , Missouri still has 6 French Colonial Homes and a surviving festival called Guignolee. Ole Mines used to speak Paw Paw French. Lewis and Clark used canoist from the French Traders in St. Louis form the first leg of their journey. When they sent back people and specimens from The Louisian The Chpouteaus of St Louis accompanied them to Jefferson;s home at Monticello. Streets in St. Louis=Cerre, Gravois, Laclede, Bellefontaine, Paquin. I have travelled Quebec, The Gaspe, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. I am familiar with the History of Canada and the US. I was a commercial driver and have been to most of North America.
1605
@@EdinburghFive
1920
Evangeline - the epic poem about the expulsion of the Acadians
American here. Love how you pronounce ca-NAY-da haha. Can-nuh-duh is how i say it lol.
This a beautiful social experience, well done. Merci.
i grew up Acadien lol . the accent is totally regional. but one thing for sure is we swear a lot and use words from ancient France .... example "Fatras" ... the letter R is rolled (france- rolled at the back of the pallet) (acadien- rolled at the front of the pallet)
In quebec it is now like france (rolled at the back of the pallet) but the older generations rolls their r's.
My only experience in French Canada was driving through Montreal during rush hour. Before the days of GPS. What I can tell is the influence of French fur traders on the Great Lakes and the Native Americans. Here in Wisconsin many of the tribes and place names are native in origin with French spellings.
I love these videos. The youtube algorithm suggested this channel to me because of my love for linguistics, and while I know its not your main channel focus, I certainly love your take on exploring dialects because its very much a non-professional inquiry, much like my own, fueled by enthusiasm.
I hope to see more videos of you exploring the lesser-known corners of the Francophone world. Also, you might want to check out Paul from the Langfocus channel, he's got a great video on the differences between Quebec French and Standard French from a linguist's standpoint.
In the second clip, the young lady is Québécoise, the young man is Acadian. That's why you heard Québec French in there. The two are from different provinces and have very different accents.
It's so funny that you had a hard time understanding the whole region vs. language issue (I did too and I'm Canadian, don't worry) and your sweater says "New Orleans" which is a perfect representation of the video! To make things more confusing, Acadians are the ancestors of modern day Cajuns and that's where the word comes from ("Acadian/Acajian" got shortened to Cajun).
And us cajuns have our own chiac "mode" of our creole, and french and english. Never heard someone talk about it though, we just mix the three languages as we feel necessary. Lol
Chiac (soft ch, shee-ack) is a creole language believed to originate from the Shediac area of New Brunswick. Shediac being a massive lobster fishing community (town is dubbed the lobster capital of the world) I think that's why you heard the gentleman in the video refer to the distinct dialectical pronunciation of "homard."
Acadian dialects and accents vary a lot even in the small geography that is New Brunswick thanks to communities being small and people historically not traveling far between them. People living close to Quebec take on a much more Quebecois accent, as you move further to the northeast towards Bathurst the accent becomes much more Acadian as does the vocabulary, but they rarely speak chiaq or any other kind of frenglish.
To the southeast, there are far more Anglophones who speak no French at all, and I think maybe it's the longstanding relationships between the French Acadians and the English in this area that helped bring about this unique language.
I grew up speaking chiac in the home and have an interest in linguistics and linguistic anthropology so (I know this video is a year old but) feel free to ask me anything and I'll answer the best I can! :)
Here in New Hampshire we have a French Descendancy of about 1/2 Million, but few remaining speakers. Similarly in Maine, Massachusetts & Rhode Island from the Quebec Migration of 1875-1925 to the New England Factories. The remaining here are in Manchester & Nashua (our largest cities) and Berlin, in the North Woods, approaching Quebec. Again there is a unique accent and a "melange" of French & English wording. You can still get excellent "poutine" and order in French in West Manchester & Berlin however.
No idea why you put quotations around Poutine, but that is a mighty bold statement about being able to got good ones there. The dish was created in the 1950's and ironically, the Acadians have Poutine also, it's a very different dish that is at least 400 years old - you never hear about the Acadian one though.
So for Maine, it's nuanced, because it depends if you're talking about southern Maine or northern Maine. Francos in southern Maine (Lewiston area) indeed are mostly of Quebecois descent for the migration reasons you mention. Francos in northern Maine (St. John Valley) are moreso of Acadian descent--they were in cohesive communities with other Acadians in New Brunswick and the US-CAN border just happened to be drawn right through the middle of their communities in the 1800s.
My Grandmother Noella (born in New England to Quebecois parents) spoke with her sister Yvette like this. They would switch between French and English like mid sentence. It was like their own language.
Wow, that's amazing. I'm from Mexican decent and lived in Texas, and we mix our Spanish and English (Spanlish). I wasn't aware about French-English. Fascinating.
I live in Arlington and the Spanish spoken around here is TexMex. I was thinking the same as you watching this.
I'm both mexican( of texas) & cajun french so I'm aware of both & the cajuns are extremely similar to mexicans. Cajuns are of European Mediterranean descent via French just like mexicans via Spain and also are mixed with native american a lot of the time like mexicans.
"Cajun" is just a Louisianan slang way of saying "Acadian" as that is where many of the Acadians ended up after they were deported from Canada by the British in 1755. Many found there way back to Canada eventually too though. However, Chiac is probably only spoken by a few in New Brunswick these days. Along the boundary between Québec and Ontario it can be quite humorous listening to many of the French speakers talk too...it's almost a slang that many there refer to as "Franglais" (e.g. j'aboarder la bus, or je drive l'auto etc.). Most Québecers (or Québecois as they like to be referred) speak a French that originates along the west coast of France though...e.g. primarily Normandy and Brittany.
Im from that area. It's such a natural switch we dont even notice.
Moi itou!
@@natachathebeau3702 toi too? Lol
@@ice-mp5dx “Moi itou” … it’s the chiac way of saying “me too” 😎 Vive l’Acadie!!
@@natachathebeau3702 Vraiment! Bonne job!
Entre nous, je suis acadien, et parfois j'ai de la difficulté a comprendre. Tout dépend du temps passé dans chaque région afin de connaître les astuces de l'accent
@lydiabernard8841 bonjour
The Cajuns of Louisiana are descendants of the Acadians, relocated to there by the British. I wonder if you can find Justin Wilson's take on it. He was an American comedian of Cajun descent.
“Cajun” is a shortened pronunciation of “Acadian.” It’s like someone slurred Acadian after too many bourbons. Following languages is much like watching cultures move around the world. Louisiana Cajuns migrated from Canadian Acadia. Now that typed it, could “Canada” be a derivative of “Acadia?” Or visa versa?
@@BennoHaas Yes I know. But I my dad had several of his comedy albums from back in the 60s. Don't know where they are since Dad passed away years ago. My sister might have them.
@@darryljordan647 The term Canada didn't exist during the Great Expulsion of 1755. Cajun is a corruption of 'cadien, which is the way the French of New Orleans pronounced it the the Americans who came up with "Cajun."
@@darryljordan647 "Canada" is a corruption of the Algonquin "Kanata" which means "home". I am guessing that the first French who showed up there asked the Algonquins, in whatever broken patois the two groups had concocted "What is this place called?". To this, the Algonquins replied "home" or "kanata".
No Acadians were "relocated" to Louisiana by the British.
Chiac is named some say after Shediac New Brunswick , there are also some words from native Mimaq a tribe of Indians from the region . Chiac is the cousin of the French spoken by the Cajuns in Louisiana . My mother spoke Chiac and was from Shediac my mother was half Acadian and Half Irish , the spoke both Chiac and English
Hello Miss Marie !!! I Am American and enjoy watching your Frenchtastic CHANNEL !!! Like button Illuminated
And I Am Still Subscribed !!! 😄😄😄😄
Ecoute la musique de Lisa Leblanc ou de Marie-Jo Thério et lis les œuvres de l'écrivaine Antonine Maillet pour connaître mieux la culture acadienne du Nouveau-Brunswick. Je suis certain que tu aimeras ça.
I remember Lisa used to sing in an Irish pub in Miramichi
Get a Map of US and Canada. Draw a dotted line from Montreal (formerly Ste. Marie or Marie) through Toronto ( formerly York) down to the Great Lakes to Chicago (this was the portage of Chicagou (wild garlic) to the Illinois River (Pay Du Illinois) to the Mississippi to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. This connected the French Empire in the Americas. The part around the Great lakes descending to the Gulf of Mexico was the Louisiana (Louisienne). The Acadians were in maritime Canada and to dilute their influence were deported throughout the Americas. The British supplanted French with Scottish immigrants (Nova Scotia=New Scotland). Those moving into New Orleans were not wanted even by the French in New Orleans and were forced into the swamps, That is where Acadian (Cadien) evolved into Cajun. There are wars being fought simultaneously to these events. France loses to the English and cedes Canada under the proviso that Quebec keeps their language, religion, and culture ( the terms of the treaty). So to this day Quebec has special arrangement within the Canadian Confederation. This particular Treaty arrangement did not apply to other parts of Canada. St. Louis where I live was founded by French in 1764. But the French King Louis ceded the Louisiana to his cousin Spanish King Carlos. St. Louis never became English until the sale of the Louisiana Purchase. August Chouteau born and raised in the wilderness speaking the French of the habitants and never having been to France was not understood by true French speakers (he spoke 5 native languages and French, signed the Missouri State Constitution and refused to speak English). His nephew founded Kansas City. By 1850, 60% of the inhabitants of St. Louis were from Germany or Ireland. Thus being American and transformed first by Americans the new massive immigration erased the last vestiges of French culture and only street names remain (Gravois, LaClede, Bellefontaine, etc.).
"5 francophones de l'Acadie ont un message pour le reste de la francophonie" serait une vidéo intéressante à voir.
All I understood was that the New York Yankee vs. Boston Red Sox baseball rivalry is strong in any language. Interesting video! 😀🐺
It's especially true in New Brunswick, which in many ways is an extension of New England. Almost everyone there are Red Sox fans, so it's heresy to cheer for the Yankees. My dad grew up in New Brunswick and he supported the Montreal Canadiens over the Boston Bruins, which also made him a bit of a pariah with his neighbours.
I live very near New Brunswick, and I’m a big Mets and Devils fan. That’s New Brunswick, New Jersey! 👍⚾️🏒🥅🤓
@@michaelcrummy8397 Haha, I forgot about the other New Brunswick! :)
Celui qui expliquait la prononciation de homard en chiac avait un accent acadien.
Celui qui parlait en chiac avait clairement comme langue maternelle l'anglais. Sa femme parlait plus naturellement.
As far as I know it is pronounced Shhack in New Bruswick. Acadians used to call Quebecois speaking Chiac. We Acadians from NB call it Franglais.
I am curious to what language Marie thinks in in her head. Is it always French and then she has to translate it to English before she speaks. It’s always fascinating to me since I only speak English.
The better one gets at speaking a foreign language, they can think in that language and not have to translate before speaking.
When you can think in a language, that's when you are truly fluent.
I'm thinking in English! Sometimes some Spanish, Korean/Japanese words come first. I don't think in French anymore 😅
you really need to study the the whole 2000 years of Europe history to fully understand where Acadian and Quebec French comes from. from Gaelic to Gallo roman to anglo roman to a whole bunch of different french language variations depending where they were from in France. you should look out for Jerriais language videos. its at least a 1000 years old and still spoken in Northern France today. it's insanely similar to Acadian French.
Acadians are not Quebecois -- the Maritimes was one of the first areas in Canada where the French populated - then Populated in Quebec. So in the end it's two different groups of French people - developing different cultures and ways of speaking. The provinces the Acadians live in are now English and dominate the culture overall (of the province). So the Acadians picked up aspects of the English (past 300 years) language as it is more dominant in the society they live in (now) -- but it was originally all French (till the English took over). - The difference between Acadia and Quebec is that in Quebec French stayed the dominant language even after the English took over - and stayed a French area - as apposed to the Acadians - the areas they lived in became less French and the English took over and the area became English.
Could you do a video on Norman French, which is spoken in Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands? It was once the language spoken in both Normandy and amongst the English ruling class. I believe that it is still spoken widely in the Channel Islands.
I'd be interested in that, too.
I have just watched "Jèrriais (Jersey French) speaker interviewed in French" and read this interesting comment "I’m from Quebec. This woman sounds like a distinguished Acadian lady of British origin. I understand her completely."
We Louisiana Cajuns would joke that these are the cousins who hid in the bushes when the British soldiers came to expel us. Sadly my mother didn't want me and my siblings to learn French even though my grandmother's first language was Acadian (Cajun) French. There was a stigma attached to the accent and she was afraid it would hinder us. When my grandmother was in school, French was outlawed, so while I was learning standard French in high school, she refused to converse with me. But listening to the older gentleman speak, he reminds me of how many Cajuns spoke, mixing French and English. Even his accent had a familiar ring to it. And yes, they are our cousins. My 23andMe DNA test shows a lot of relatives in the Nova Scotia area, which was originally called Acadia.
If you listen to the students exposed to the Cajun dialect at the high school level through the CODOFIL programmes, you can tell that they studied français métroplitain first. While they have the consonant-vowel combinations correct for Cajun French and use the archaisms, turns of phrase, syntax and vocabulary unique to Louisiana, their vowels are DECIDEDLY Standard French.
And we real Acadians would joke that you are nothing more than Americans with zero relation to our culture and who cannot even speak the language. The ones who did what the English told you to do.
For outsiders it is confusing. My mom is Acadian and Did not speak English until a teenager both of my children attend the Acadian French school in Nova Scotia which no English is allowed to be spoken. Also different provinces and different communities have different accents which make it even more confusing. My friend who lives here in Halifax is from France and his 92 year old mom who doesn’t speak English can understand my children perfectly but Acadian is a very old French that has evolved different from Quebec.
7:31 i remember in school learninf about the quebequois who migrated south down the Mississippi river to louisiana and acadiana is literally just a mispelling of canadia and the affluent accent holding families could pass down the accent to their kids while other people might just have a franglais ish accent.
i am from New Brunswick and sometimes i have a hard time understanding Chiac
It's always interesting to learn about the evolution of languages throughout the world. There are so many influences that contribute to each dialect and language. I once heard from a French teacher from Quebec that the Acadians incorporate some English into their French, sort of a "Franglais". That may help you understand it. : )
A little history as to why Acadia and Acadiana are related. Acadia was a French colony. Acadia was conquered by the English. The English gave the French settlers the option of swearing allegiance to the English crown or moving to New Orleans. New Orleans was important because of the fort protecting the mouth of the Mississippi River. That is part of why there is a French district in New Orleans and why the French in Lousiana and Acadia are similar but very different. J'aime tes videos. Ils sont tellement geniales.
Just a slight correction... They were not given a choice. The year was 1755 and on. They were deported not knowing where they were going to end up, villages burned to make sure they couldn't return, etc. Nothing in this was civilized as you make it sound. People fled if they could, hid in the forest and went North along the St-John River. If not caught, some settled in Northern New-Brunswick, Île St-Jean (now PEI), and in Québec, among other places. These were dark times indeed.
@@isabelledrolet4297 the previous commenter was correct. The Acadians were given the choice to swear allegiance to the English crown but most refused. The deportation was carried out under protest, most to
Louisiana , some to Africa, some to French colonies in the Caribbean, some to France even. Small pockets of Acadians remained in Nova Scotia ( my family), New Brunswick, and to a lesser extent to Prince Edward Island. Here they survived and retained their language and culture. The French spoken today is a mixture of archaic French with much English influence. Consider that Acadia was founded in 1604 by Siemens de Champlain and has been isolated since 1763. Only since the 1960’s has the retention of the language been supported by the various governments. I learned French in School; my cousins speak Acadian French. I have much trouble understanding them when they speak quickly. My one cousin reminds the others to speak “proper” French so I can understand and participate.
@ Servern Blades I agree with you, but guess I did not make clear what my correction was to specifically. I was just finding the his sentence of "option of swearing allegiance to the English crown or moving to New Orleans" made it seem like they had a say in where they were to be relocated as if it had been a smooth process. Yes, they had the choice to "side" with the British or get deported, but never had a choice to where or how... It was very much a violent process. My family was among those who fled along the St-John River. After a brief exile in what is now QC, they eventually made their way back into NB and settled in the Caraquet region. And I applaud you for keeping your French alive! Must be very difficult in NS. My whole family speaks Acadian French and my husband (from QC) has sometimes trouble keeping up with our conversations!
@@isabelledrolet4297 one thing I failed to mention regarding the expulsion of the Acadians. The British really did not care about the allegiance, it was a good reason to cover their real intent. From the founding of Acadia to the end of the Seven Years War (1763) the Acadians had worked very hard to improve the land. They cleared forests, drained wet lands, built irrigation ditches, etc. The land was very well prepared and the British wanted it, plain and simple. Let’s just send these French baxxxxxds away and claim the land for ourselves. My family is from southwest Nova Scotia, around Yarmouth. It is interesting that Yarmouth town id almost exclusively English speaking, yet just a few miles outside of town, the whole area is French speaking. These people have worked very hard over the centuries to maintain their language, religion, and customs. When my grandparents moved into town from the country, they learned English but did not bother to teach my mother’s generation to speak French. The language was kept for themselves for when they did not want the kids to understand. My mother knew a few French words and phrases, but had very little idea what they meant or where they came from. My uncle, after whom I was named, never did learn to read or write English. My mother’s older brother married a girls from the country, thus my Acadian cousins. An interesting side note, my mother’s father was a Frenchman from the islands of St Pierre et Miquelon, a citizen of France who entered Canada illegally in the 1910’s so he was definitely French, but not Acadian.
They were actually there for 3 to 4 generations before the colonist arrived. Yes they were kicked out in 1700s but they were there in the 15 and 1600s as well. Another thing is the Acadians were a brand new ethnicity. They were not French they were French people mixed with Mi’kmaq. No one gave them a choice.
Yep, I am not surprised the mix of French, English, native American, and even Spanish that is "Acadian French" is giving you fits or even a headache.
Map of Acadiana in Louisiana as part of a Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadiana
People born in southern Louisiana around the year 1900 were the last generation which commonly spoke French as a first or second language. Mass communications (cinema, large circulation newspapers, radio, and TV) virtually eliminated French in Louisiana by sometime in the 1960s. The government of Louisiana in cooperation with the government of France is working to preserve or even revive the use of French in Louisiana. crt.state.la.us/cultural-development/codofil/index
The older of my sisters graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor's degree in French. It helped that she went to all four years of high school in western Switzerland.
My wife's niece (her brother's daughter) completed graduate school in Orleans, France on a CODOFIL scholarship.
Its actually really unique how easy it is to blend english and french and how seamlessly they blend
Le patois Canadien-Francais s'appelle 'Jouale'. C'est un dialecte francophone distinc et different du francais parler en Louisiane (par les Acadiens )
Il y a aussi le français acadjonne de la nouvelle-écosse, qui sonne encore très différent du québécois ou du chiac :)
Et quel accent ont les habitants de Saint-pierre et Miquelon?Basque,Breton,Normand,Parisien,Acadien
Both of my grandparents are from Decazeville France when she was taking French in school the teacher said she was pronouncing French wrong, she said tell it to my parents who were born in France. They taught Parisian my Grandparents spoke Southern French
Salut, merci à toi vous de perpétuer la langue française ! On est vraiment fiers de vous !
I am Acadian. Both my parents from Moncton and Rogersville. I lived in Moncton and Shediac so the older couple sounds just like my parents and aunt and uncle. Music to my ears growing up.
Pretty easy for me to understand. Because i am from eastern townships in Québec .
We use to speak like that
Seems like you need to go visit Quebec with some of your followers and vlog your trip and interesting interactions you have with locals. I'd totally watch that, get a group together and vlog your trip.
Another thing in Southwest Louisiana is depending where you live the Cajun dialect changes some.
There’s the Native American,Spanish, Italian, German, and Irish language over the years that has evolved and used in Cajun French.
Looking fabulous! You are a natural beauty!!!
Je suis en amour avec le language parlé dans l'Est oh god que j'aime les écouteurs parler !! :-)
Bonjour Marie! The Cajuns came from Acadian settlers, and their name got "corrupted" into the word, Cajun. I really hope that you get the opportunity to speak to more French speaking people from all over such as Haiti, Cote d'Ivoire, Monaco, Belgium, and other places. Thanks for sharing this! Bonne Journee! ~Be Blessed
the lone star on the Acadian flag is for the virgin saint-mary patron saint of all Acadians world wide.
Settlers were they?
@@tiffaniterris2886 Settlers they were indeed, as they are the ethnic group that developed out of the French colonist who settled in Acadia beginning in 1605. Some Acadians then become settlers in Louisiana starting in the 1760s.
@@EdinburghFive
Baloney
My family is from the Acadie area of New Brunswick 🇨🇦, my grandmother was notorious for using French and English interchangeably when speaking with her siblings. On multiple occasions I'd call her out and ask why, she couldn't explain why or how, only that it's as natural as breathing. It's odd, but neat 😊
yes ACADIANA is a fairly recently coined word referring cajun country in louisiana- hence ACADI + ANA from louisiANA .
Love the "J'aime right" tee=shirt. Our family were from both Quebec, and Acadia, before entering US. The ones in Acadia were forced out of Acadia by the English. They were forced out, or fled to Quebec, or New England. Others ended up in New Orleans.
At first, I thought he is speaking totally French but then he started combining several English words into the mix! Interesting!!?
What about Brayon?
Within Nova Scotia we have different Acadian cultures and accents.
The region of Claire speaks St. Mary's Bay French
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Marys_Bay_French
Other Acadian regions include Pubnico in the western part of the province, Isle Madame/Arichat and Cheticamp in Cape Breton all with their own accents.
As you move into New Brunswick (the only officially bilingual province in Canada) the closer you get to Quebec the influence of Quebec language and culture has more and more influence in the Acadian language.
There is also a colony of France (St. Pierre et Miquelon) just off of the Coast of Newfoundland where they speak metropolitan French.
If I try to speak french in Quebec they say "Vous etre un Acadien de Nouveau Brunswick". Before I learned how to write any of it, they didn't understand me at all in Quebec. Now they say I'm acadien de NB. And they are almost right. My parents both were. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I know, I don't like to admit it. But I was. But I since left. lol. Oh, my name isn't really Leandre Maillet. That was my grandfather. I just "borrowed it" to get back on twitter since I'm banned for life over my Q posts and WEF. I better watch out. They might ban me here too if I go further. lol. So I'm a typical Acadien in that I'm always "bucking the system". We just don't fit in so well. lol. Except most are blind. I just happen to see what they don't so I don't fit in as an Acadien either. I'm a "conspiracy theorist". But who cares. I don't need them anyway. Oh well. Peace. Salut.
All you have to do to hear that language is go to Canada
people in Canada speak French Canadian which most Parisian French speakers think is ghetto French! However the people in Canada said that this is the original French from thousands of years ago that we took to Canada the people from Paris now speak terrible French so who do you believe? All I know is I want the Sherbrooke ones and tried to speak the French I learned in high school they looked at me like I had three heads
"thousands of years ago"? Not a big history buff, are you?😁
Voilà ou voileuh... Which is most definitely not how the language diverges a "thousand years ago" ;)
If you only speak standard French obviously you will have a hard time, you just need a bit of exposure and adjustment to understand. Unless they were actually speaking Chiac and you got confused
My mother is from northern New Brunswick and grew up French speaking but part of the language situation is that they use many words originating in the parts of France their ancestors came from, specifically Britainy and Normandy and other Gaelic French areas. Compound that with cultural isolation from European French change and homogeneity efforts by the French central government and Canadian French gets two, at least, variations. On many visits to France my mother is fully understood but thought to be from some rural area that uses an older pattern and vernacular
Very interesting. I live in Nova Scotia, part of Acadia. My mother is Quebecoise, and I have an Acadian aunt due to a marriage with my uncle from Quebec.
A lot of different dialects up here. I have spoken to American Creole and Vajuns and we understood each other.
Some Cajuns sound like our Acadians and others sound like an Englishman speaking French without trying to learn the French accent.
We have Acadian people up here in Nova Scotia who have kept their French accent but only speak English.
I was in Paris recently and people were quite interested in
the differences that have developed over the centuries.
Where is your grandfather from? Be more specific please? Which part of France and when was he born? Thanks for an interesting video.
Maybe a cup of "the worlds strongest coffee" would help??
This is so fascinating to me! I am a native English speaker but I am French by ancestry and French-Canadian by heritage. I currently live in a very Francophone part of the country - New Brunswick, to be precise. The French here, and my mother's native French is NOT what you think when you think French - it is what we call "Franglais!" Acadian French often rolls 'r' and ends in hard 'r'. And they pepper in a lot of english and they have their own words! For instance, they use "pi" instead of "et" for and. and they use "yank" for just! Very odd.
‘Frenglish’ ou ‘Franglais’? Je ne sais pas.
I can speak Franglais, un petit peu. Je parle français parfois, mais not well.
When we went to Iceland we were told Icelandic was originally old Norwegian that evolved over time.
I can understand when Cajuns speak English. I understand a little Cajun French. I guess since I speak Spanish as well that helps.
New Brunswick is Nouveau Brunswick and Nova Scotia is Nouvelle Ecosse in French. The French (Acadians) were along the shorelines of Nova Scotia (besides in New Brunswick). They were expelled by the English in 1755-1763, however some remained. Today, most Acadian French are found north of Yarmouth, along the shoreline into the Bay of Fundy area (up to Annapolis Valley/Port Royal area) and some in Cape Breton Island (look up Fort Louisbourg).
I was wondering if you would do something like this after seeing the QC french vid. haha. I live in NB so this is right up my alley! Acadians are directly from France - my family is from the Bretagne region I believe... there is even a bordeaux with the family name on it !! :)
South-east of New-Brunswick has the strongest mix of French and English (Chiac, pronounced she-ak), the more you go North-East, the more French becomes prevalent. Then when you go to the North-West, the accent sounds more and more like Quebec's accent. And the South-East is mostly English. Hope this helps :)
Bonjour Marie. Je suis québecois d'origine ayant passé une partie de mon enfance en Acadie, où ma soeur a décidé d'aller fonder sa famille! Si tu aimerais de l'aide avec les accents régionaux, fais-moi signe! Tes vidéos sont supers et c'est beau de voir quelqu'un s'intéresser de la sorte à notre belle langue ainsi qu'à ses diverses variétés!
Ok, if you’re going down the rabbit hole of French Canadian dialects, you have to look up Michif, the language of the Métis. It’s a mix of French, from the early French traders and colonizer, mixed with the native language of the Cree. The majority of Métis people in Canada live in the province of Manitoba, and a bit in western Ontario.
Edit: this is a good explanation, but doesn’t feature people actually speaking Michif ua-cam.com/video/o2FsElCXlHI/v-deo.html
This happens w Spanish and English in some families in the southwest and southern Florida
where do you have this exact sweatshirt from? @frenchtastic
Would it help to know that they came from Brittany? I think the Quebecois came from the north, like around Calais. That's where the founders of Montreal came from, my mother's ancestors came over with them . Could be why the accents are so different.