So why French?
Why did those people around the area speak French? Is there really a French speaking minority in Louisiana?
Or does it just add mystery to the film.
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MovieChat Forums > Southern Comfort (1981) Discussion > So why French?
Louisiana was owned by the French before it was purchased by America. Some of the populace still speak French, but it is a different type of French. Cajun. Much like American English differs from British English.
shareits creole i beleive, some of the cajuns are the descendants of the french fighters who fled to the bayou during the french and indan war, and developed their own sub culture which still to this day speak with a mixture of english and french dialects, that is until they build a wal mart in the bayou and start white washing everything.
share[deleted]
The dialect of southern Louisiana has many different influences. There is the french from the French settlers that came in through New Orleans; there is the Acadian--"Cajun"--dialect from refugees that came from what is now Nova Scotia in the 17-1800's; there is the french creole from freed Haitian slaves. This was all mixed in with various African dialects from other slaves, American Indian, German, Scots-Irish, and Spanish influences.
Also, the Acadian settlers from Canada came from a part of France that had its own dialect that was different from "mainstream" French to begin with. Mix all this with a good bit of cayenne pepper, and you have the gumbo known as Louisiana French.
There are still small pockets of Acadian-French speakers in some areas of Canada, such as Prince Edward Island (formerly called "Ile St. Jean.) This dialect is different from the usual French-Canadian language, which is itself fairly different from the language of modern France.
In theory, theory and practice should be the same, but in practice, they're not.
:O Of course we speak french!
I'll give him 20 more minutes-and that's it!- Airplane!
So why Spanish in Texas?
"You don't have a pot to p*ss in."
"Give me a pot. I'll fill it."
-Tin Men (1987)
As a French-Canadian I was having a great time trying to understand some of the Cajun dialogue. I'd pick-up a few words here and there and get the gist of it. LOVE the way it sounds!
We've met before, haven't we?
For cripe's sake, Lopan Ninja, do a little research before posting such stupid questions. I'm not usually hard on people, especially for bringing up interesting or obscure questions, but this take the cake.
shareWhy French? Well the ancestry in Louisiana is mainly French. Just like if you go to Massachusetts it is Irish, or Minnesota it is German. The Cajun ancestors came from a place "Acadia" (which is in Nova Scotia). And before that came from France.
Cajun and Creole is not the same thing....not even close. And there is so much misleading info and confusion on the Internet about the two that many people don't know the difference. The Cajuns are people whose ancestors were French Canadians and settled about 3 hours west of New Orleans....places like Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville, Ville Platte, and the best known of course Lafayette. The Creoles are people whose ancestors come from the Caribbean and have some kind of mixture of black, spanish, or whatever else. Many malata people refer to their ethnicity as Creole. They have a heavier concentration in the New Orleans metro. In simple terms Cajun refers to those of Caucasian descent (French of course). Creole refers to light skinned black people or anyone with any kind of mix for the most part. They have others who try to say different, but just go down there and ask anyone. I've lived there my whole life so I know.
Lol are you serious? What are kids being taught these days.
shareApparently taught not to use the amazing resources they have at their fingertips.
*cough*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajuns*cough*
While Lower Louisiana had been settled by French colonists since the late 17th century, the Cajuns trace their roots to the influx of Acadian settlers after the Great Expulsion from their homeland during the French and British hostilities prior to the Seven Years' War (1756 to 1763).
We've met before, haven't we?
This is a stupid question.
share