|
|
 E-mail this message to a friend
|
|
Title:
|
The Sociolinguistic Situation of Creoles in South Louisiana: Identity, characteristics, attitudes
|
|
Author:
|
Megan Melancon
|
|
Email:
|
click here to access email
|
|
Degree Awarded:
|
Louisiana State University
, Department of Linguistics
|
|
Degree Date:
|
2000
|
|
Linguistic Subfield(s):
|
Sociolinguistics
|
|
Subject Language(s):
|
English
Louisiana Creole French
|
|
Director(s):
|
Sylvie Dubois
|
|
|
Abstract:
|
|
|
Most of the research done on the Louisiana Creole community has concentrated on the vocabulary and folklore of Creole French. To date, there has been no methodological examination of other parameters enveloping the community. In this dissertation, the previous findings will be extended by analyzing the results of a survey on the linguistic attitudes and cultural, ethnic, and racial identity of the African-Americans in South Louisiana who identify as Creole. Due to the presence of several varieties of French in the state, the ethnic and racial admixture among the people who speak these dialects, and the overwhelming presence of English in all facets of modern-day life, linguistic and social boundaries have been blurred. This is reflected in the attitudes and the self-identification of the informants. In this study, surveys were administered to 240 African-Americans in South Louisiana. The sample was stratified by age, sex, Creole ancestry, and degree of fluency in Creole French. The synchronic attitudes toward the language and the community were analyzed in light of the historical changes undergone by the community. The results show that Creoles in Louisiana today are still cognizant of the historical meaning attached to the term, but are also participating in the more general movement toward ethnic and racial pride, and are therefore largely identifying as African-American, while still showing some residual pride in Creole heritage, and a concomitant loyalty toward both Creole language use in daily life as well as viewing Creole French as a positive item for the community.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page Updated: 26-Nov-2009
Please report any bad links or misclassified data
LINGUIST Homepage | Read
LINGUIST | Contact us
While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed
on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.
|
|
