Language Attrition in Louisiana Creole French

LANGUAGE ATTRITION IN LOUISIANA CREOLE FRENCH 46
Thus, these many factors—the historical origins of the language, its
geographic location, and the inaccurate data, and „French revitalization
efforts‟—that combined are causing LCF‟s current moribundity.
IX. Conclusion
LCF is a contact language that evolved from a pidgin created from French
and various African languages in the 18 th century. This pidgin arose to
facilitate communication between African slaves and francophone land owners.
Once a generation of native speakers of this pidgin was born, the language
evolved into a creole that was spoken throughout the Louisiana territory and a
diglossia between LCF and PSF was formed. English replaced PSF as the H
language once Louisiana became one of the United States of America.
Although LCF thrived for centuries, it is currently in a state of attrition.
LCF‟s negative associations with slavery have stigmatized the language to the
point where many speakers are ridiculed for its usage, especially in situations
where the H languages, Standard French and American English, are viewed as
more appropriate. Additionally, in order for the formerly subjugated and
currently marginalized LCF speakers to achieve upward social mobility, they
would have to acquire the H language and be able to completely remove the L
language, LCF, from their speech in most social situations. This desire to be
upwardly mobile prompted many LCF speakers not to pass the language on to
future generations, contributing to its gradual decline. Additionally, geography,
which can and has greatly isolated creole speakers, is now a non-factor in
Louisiana. With Louisiana‟s becoming a state and numerous technological