User:Nsowers/sandbox

I am working on the Cajun English page for my assignment. I would like to expand on the history and sociolinguistic influences of this variant. I would also like to add citations and expand on the phonology section. Here are some potential sources I found:

http://repositori.uji.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10234/76966/-serveis-scp-publ-jfi-xvii-filologia-1.pdf

https://www-cambridge-org.ezproxy4.library.arizona.edu/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954394599113036

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED420881.pdf

Draft for Cajun English Introduction

Cajun English, or Cajun Vernacular English, is the dialect of English spoken by Cajuns living in southern Louisiana and, to a lesser degree, in eastern Texas. Cajun English is significantly influenced by Cajun French, the historical language of the Cajun people, who descended from Acadian settlers and others. It is derived from Acadian French and is on the List of dialects of the English language for North America. This differed markedly from Metropolitan or Parisian French in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary, particularly because of the long isolation of Acadians, and even more so of Cajuns, from the Francophone world.

English is now spoken by the vast majority of the Cajun population, but French influence remains strong in terms of inflection and vocabulary. Their accent is considerably distinct from the General American. Cajun French is considered by many to be an endangered language, mostly used by elderly generations. However it is now frequently spoken by even the youngest Cajuns, and is seeing something of a cultural renaissance. In recent years, due to influence from tourism and a resurgence of pride in their cultural identity, has started a new era of linguistic innovation for Cajun English. Dramatic differences are developing along both gender and generational lines as for how Cajun English is used and what it means to be Cajun. [Copied from source].

Rough Draft (New Section: History)

History

Cajun English is spoken throughout Mississippi and up through the gulf of Texas. Its speakers are descendants of Acadians from Nova Scotia, Canada who, in 1765 moved to French-owned Mississippi when the British took control of Nova Scotia. In 1803, however, Britain purchased Mississippi as well and, in 1812, declared English as the official language of the state. Despite this, many Cajuns at the time, who lived in small towns and were poorly educated, continued to use French exclusively. This isolated them from British colonist and they were often ridiculed and treated like second-class citizens by them. In the 1930's English was the only language taught in schools, but the Cajun communities still resisted the change, using French at home and in their communities. The combination of being native French speakers and the incomplete English Cajun children were learning during their inconsistent public education led to advent of Cajun English, the fusion of both languages.

After WWII, however, Cajun English saw a severe decline in use, as young people entered the military and were consequently using more and more English. Meanwhile, Cajun children were beginning to receive better and more consistent education, which allowed them to become wealthier than the generation before them. There was still a lot of stigma associated with Cajun English and in order to achieve and maintain their new social status many young Cajuns abandoned French and Cajun English entirely in favor of more American cultural lifestyles. This shift caused Cajun English to become an endangered dialect. Many decades latter, the loss of cultural identity became felt by the new Cajun generation and their efforts to recover it began the Cajun Renaissance. The corresponding upsurge of Cajun food, music, and festivities have been well received by tourists and are now supported by the local government. Although Cajun English has made a comeback, it is important to note that the bilingualism that originally created, a knowledge of both French and English, has not. Cajun English speakers typically do not speak French, and experts believe that it is unlikely that this part of the culture will be recovered. This has changed the source of much of the phonological differences in Cajun English from interference from being a native French speaker to markers of Cajun identity.

Phonology (Expansion, citations, and editing)

Cajun English is distinguished by some of the following phonological features:
 * The deletion of any word's final consonant (or consonant cluster), and nasal vowels, are common, both features being found in French. Therefore, hand becomes, food becomes , rent becomes , New York becomes , and so on.
 * As a consequence of the removal of a word's final consonant the third person singular (-S) and the past tense morpheme (-ED) tends to be dropped. So, 'He gave me six' and 'She go with it' rather than 'gives' and 'goes'. And 'I stay two months' and 'She wash my face' rather than 'stayed' and 'washed'.
 * Cajun English also has the tendency to drop the auxiliary of the verb 'to be' in the third person singular (IS) and the second person singular and plurals. For example, 'She pretty' and 'What we doing'.
 * The typical American gliding vowels (as in boat),  (as in bait),  (as in boot),  (as in bout),  (as in bite), and  (as in boy) have reduced glides or none at all: respectively,, , , , , and.
 * [h'] dropping, wherein words that begin with the letter /h/ are pronounced without it, so that hair sounds like air, and so on.
 * Many vowels which are distinct in General American English are pronounced the same way due to a merger; for example, the words hill and heel are homophones, both being pronounced.
 * Stress is generally placed on the second or last syllable of a word, a feature inherited directly from French.
 * The voiceless and voiced alveolar stops and  often replace dental fricatives, a feature used by both Cajun English speakers and speakers of Louisiana Creole French (Standard French speakers generally produce alveolar fricatives in the place of dental fricatives). Examples include "bath" being pronounced as "bat" and "they" as "day." This feature leads to a common Louisianian paradigm 'dis, dat. dese, dose' rather than 'this, that, these, those' as a method of describing how Cajuns speak.
 * Cajun English speakers generally do not aspirate the consonants, , or . As a result, the words "par" and "bar" can sound very similar to speakers of other English varieties. It is notable that after the Cajun Renaissance, this feature became more common in men than women, with woman largely or entirely dropping this phonological feature.
 * The inclusion of many loanwords, calques, and phrases from French, such as "nonc" (uncle, from the French oncle), "chèr" (dear, pronounced, from the French chèr), and "making groceries" (to shop for groceries, a calque of the Cajun French faire des groceries (épicerie)). [Copied from Source]

(Left to do: Possible new section discussing gender differences, more tweaks to remaining, unaltered sections)

Peer Review of Article Draft:

I think overall you have added good information, but your draft lacks some key citations. Any claim you make should be cited. Sections for "vocabulary", "phonology", and other linguistic components could be added. The phase "to some extent, in eastern texas" is a bit informal. I would change that sentence to "Cajun vernacular english is a variety of English spoken by Cajuns living in southern Louisiana, and to a lesser degree in eastern Texas". The sources you have look good!

~phoebechilton

Peer Review of Article Draft:

I agree with the peer review above and would also like to add that some section titles could be changed like "Most Confusing Phrases." This section, in the original article also does not include any citations which, might be something to look into.

Peer review of Draft:

I think that you have made some very good points in your draft. I think that your introductory paragraph could use some citations. If you can find information on the gender differences I think that would be a great addition to the article. I like all the detail you put into your phonology section as well. Amaciejczyk (talk) 23:52, 30 March 2018 (UTC)