French language in the United States

French language in the United States

The French language is spoken as a minority language in the United States. According to year 2000 census fugures, 1.6 million Americans over the age of five speak the language at home; [ [http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-29.pdf Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000 ] ] making French the fourth most-spoken language in the country, behind English, Spanish, and Chinese. French speaking communities were historically located in southern Louisiana and in northern New England. French is the second most-spoken language in four states: Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

French ancestry

More than 13 million Americans claim some French ancestry, and French is currently the fourth most-spoken language in the country (when Chinese languages such as Mandarin and Cantonese are grouped together).

Colonial French communities

Cajun French and Louisiana Creole French are spoken in some parts of Louisiana, which was a colony of France from 1682 to 1762 and again from 1800 until it was sold to the United States in 1803. Cajuns are descendants of Acadians who were deported by the British in 1755 from Nova Scotia during the "grand dérangement". Canadian French is spoken in parts of northern New England, which has a legacy of significant immigration from Canada, especially in the period of the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. Some Americans of French heritage who have lost the language are currently attempting to revive it. Fact|date=March 2007.

Newer Francophone immigrants

The city of Miami is home to a large Francophone community, consisting of French expatriates, Haitians, and French Canadians (although the Haitians mainly speak French as their second language, their first being Haitian Creole); there is also a growing community of Francophone Arabs in and around Orlando and Tampa. Many retired individuals from Quebec have moved to Florida or winter there.

Language study

Until the 1980s, French was the most popular foreign language studied in the United States; French has traditionally been the foreign language of choice for English-speakers across the globe. That distinction has since been claimed by Spanish – likely a consequence of increased interest in Latin America and Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. French is currently the second-most studied foreign language in the country, behind Spanish and ahead of German. Most U.S. high schools and universities offer French-language courses, and degree programs in the language are common.

Francophone communities

More than 1,000 inhabitants

*Madawaska, Maine (pop. 4,534) - 84% French-speaking
*Fort Kent, Maine (pop. 4,233) - 61% French-speaking
*Van Buren, Maine (pop. 2,631) - 79% French-speaking
*Frenchville, Maine (pop. 1,225) - 80% French-speaking

Fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

*Eagle Lake, Maine (pop. 815) - 50% French-speaking
*St. Agatha, Maine (pop. 802) - 80% French-speaking
*St. Francis, Maine (pop. 577) - 61% French-speaking
*Grand Isle, Maine (pop. 518) - 76% French-speaking
*Saint John Plantation, Maine (pop. 282) - 60% French-speaking
*Hamlin, Maine (pop. 257) - 57% French-speaking

Counties and parishes with the highest proportion of French-speakers

"Note: speakers of French-based creole languages are not included in percentages."

*St. Martin Parish, Louisiana (pop. 48,583) - 27.44% French-speaking
*Evangeline Parish, Louisiana (pop. 35,434) - 25.71% French-speaking
*Vermilion Parish, Louisiana (pop. 53,807) - 24.89% French-speaking
*Aroostook County, Maine (pop. 73,938) - 22.37% French-speaking
*Lafourche Parish, Louisiana (pop. 89,974) - 19.12% French-speaking
*Acadia Parish, Louisiana (pop. 58,861) - 19.04% French-speaking
*Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana (pop. 41,481) - 17.64% French-speaking
*Assumption Parish, Louisiana (pop. 23,388) - 17.58% French-speaking
*St. Landry Parish, Louisiana (pop. 87,700) - 16.70% French-speaking
*Coos County, New Hampshire (pop. 33,111) - 16.17% French-speaking
*Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana (pop. 31,435) - 16.15% French-speaking
*Lafayette Parish, Louisiana (pop. 190,503) - 14.37% French-speaking
*Androscoggin County, Maine (pop. 103,793) - 14.29% French-speaking

easonal migrations

Florida, and a few other resort regions (most notably Old Orchard Beach, Maine and Cape May, New Jersey) popular are visited in large numbers by francophone Quebecers during winter and summer breaks.

French Place-Names

French schools in the United States

*Audubon Charter School, New Orleans [ [http://www.auduboncharter.com Audubon Charter School] ]
*École Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orléans [http://www.ebnola.com/cms/index.php?page=home E'col Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orléans ]
*Lycée Français de New York
*Lycée Français de Los Angeles
*French-American School of New York
*International School of Arizona
*International School of Tucson
* International School of Louisiana (ISL) [ [http://www.isl-edu.org THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF LOUISIANA] ]

ee also

*Acadiana
*List of Louisiana parishes by French-speaking population
*French colonization of the Americas
*New France
*Francophonie
*Bilingual education
*Languages in the United States

References

External links

* [http://www.vivreenoc.com Vivre en Orange County] - French Community in Orange County, California
* [http://www.codofil.org Council for the Development of French in Louisiana] - a state agency.


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